Bajura, December 29     Vehicles plying the rural roads of Bajura have been fleecing passengers. The jeep entrepreneurs are taking fare arbitrarily and charging more than what was fixed by the multiparty meeting held in District Administration Office, Bajura. Civil Society Chairman Janesh Bhandari said the vehicle operators were found charging Rs 1,200 per passenger for travelling a distance of 40 kilometres  from Martadi to Kolti. The administration had fixed Rs 800 per passenger for the route. Laxman Joshi, a local of Martadi, said the vehicle operators had been fleecing the passengers openly, but the administration had become a mere spectator. “We reported about the fraudulence of jeep operators, but in vain,” he added. He said that the jeeps plying the road were even found carrying the passengers more than their capacity. Similarly, the jeep operators were found charging Rs 250 per passenger for 17-km road from Martadi to Gaumul. Locals complained that arbitrary jeep fare had made it difficult for them to travel from one place to other. Public vehicles of Jayamalika and Swamikartika Transportations are in operation in Bajura. A staff of Jayamalika Surendra Singh said that they had to charge extra fare due to poor condition of roads. Meanwhile, Chief District Officer Chet Raj Baral said his office received the complaints against the vehicle operators for fleecing passengers and vehicle over-loading. He expressed his commitment to taking action against such vehicles.