Spike In Omicron Cases: RTA Accelerates Operation Against SOPs' Violators

Regional Transport Authority (RTA) Rawalpindi on the directives of Deputy Commissioner (DC) Rawalpindi Tahir Farooq, has accelerated its ongoing operation against Covid-19 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) violators

RAWALPINDI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Jan, 2022 ) :Regional Transport Authority (RTA) Rawalpindi on the directives of Deputy Commissioner (DC) Rawalpindi Tahir Farooq, has accelerated its ongoing operation against Covid-19 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) violators.

According to Secretary, RTA Rawalpindi Rashid Ali, the authority on the directives of the DC had launched a campaign to ensure implementation of the SOPs to control spread of Covid-19 cases.

He said the teams of the authority were conducting raids and checking implementation of the SOPs at different routes while those found indulged in violations of the SOPs were fined and the vehicles were also being impounded.

Mobile squads were also performing duties at different public transport terminals and at various routes to facilitate the people, he said adding, the operation would continue and the vehicles found involved in violating the SOPs would be imposed fines or impounded.

RTA teams inspected various buses and public transport vehicles (PSVs) at different routes and impounded 24 vehicles in violation of Corona virus SOPs besides imposing fines amounting to Rs 32,000 during last three days.

He urged the citizens to follow the SOPs and adopt all possible precautionary measures against coronavirus.

It is pertinent to mention here that despite a surge in Covid-19 cases (fast-spreading Omicron variant) in Rawalpindi district, the public transport, especially the van and Suzuki pick up based transport, poses a serious threat to the residents due to non-compliance with the SOPs as social distancing for prevention of coronavirus pandemic are being violated despite warnings and fines by the authorities concerned.

The district administration is taking actions against the transporters, shopping plazas, marriage halls, restaurants and other public places for not following all the precautionary measures.

A large number of vehicles were being inspected and fines were imposed by RTA Rawalpindi but still, the transporters, drivers, and passengers are not fully following the SOPs which may cause danger to the health system.

The majority of the citizens are not observing social distancing in the local transport and the transporters are just concerned about earning money through accommodating maximum passengers in a van or Suzuki pickups. Hundreds of vans and Suzuki pickups are plying as public transport and hundreds of passengers have no options except for using these over-crowded vehicles on different routes.

/395