Daily Times

As the winter season start approaching, a large number of vendors have set up their stalls of rented traditional beds (charpoy), blankets and pillows at temporary residential points of the city to offer residencies to passengers and drivers on cheaper rates.

The transporters and passengers were the main customers of these temporary residential points where they used to spend night by getting these rented items on cheaper rates. The transporters from Balochistan, Karachi, Lahore and other cities prefer to stay at these points instead of hotels and other rented rooms with high cost.

A stall owner near general bus stand Bahawalpur bypass, Sufyan Khan told this news agency that he had been running the business from last many years and earning handsome amount in every winter season.

He said that he offered one charpoy at Rs 150 per night, charge Rs 100 for a blanket and Rs 50 for a pillow per night from each person. He said that transporters were main customers as they get accommodation on cheaper rates.

Khan added that he was also running a small hotel from where he offered meal to his customers on cheap rates.

Safdar Hussain, another stall owner near Vehari Chowk bypass said that about 50 to 70 people stayed at his point on daily basis during the winter season. He said that he charged Rs 300 per person for each night because they were also customers of his small hotel from where they used to purchase meal for dinner and breakfast.

A transporter Afzal Ali said that he used to drive loaded long vehicle about 10 to 12 hours daily and prefer these points for rest. He said that pick pocketing and swindlers were the only problem at these places as most of the people had been deprived of cash, valuables and documents by these criminals in the past. He said that these points were outside the city areas where the loaded vehicles can be parked easily, while, cheap rates of accommodation was also a major element of preferring these points.

He, however, complained about poor arrangements, the dusty pillows and blankets and a security threat due to improper checking, absence of security arrangements and verification of the accommodated people. The staff owners had never done inquiry about the customers before allowing them to stay.

The police department must provide special focus on the issue in order to prevent any untoward incident.