CHITRAL, Feb 15: The Mastuj administration officials took action against taxi drivers for fleecing commuters in the Yarkhun valley. Abdul Nasir Khan Raza, a resident of Bang village in Yarkhun, told ChitralToday on phone that the drivers were leaving the area for Chitral before 3am every day. This was creating lots of problems for the passengers, especially women, who had to be on the road to catch a jeep for Chitral after midnight. Besides, the drivers also disregarded the officially fixed fares and charged the passengers at will even after the recent reductions in petroleum prices. On public complaints, Mr Noor Uddin, the naib tehsildar Yarkhun, along with police officials from Mastuj reached Bang and set up a picket on the road after midnight. Soon after 3am, the naib tehsildar found the transport drivers honking loudly to draw the attention of the travelers in the village. The police officials at the picket stopped the drivers and asked them to depart from the area by 6am. The drivers were also fined after the passengers complained that they were overcharging. The residents of the area appreciated the step taken by the naib tehsildar but said it should be a regular practice to force the drivers to follow rules and avoid troubling the commuters.]]>