Daily Times

KARACHI: On the special order of the Sindh High Court, Karachi Traffic Police Deputy Inspector General Dr Amir Ahmed Shaikh on Friday directed the officials concerned not to take action against CNG rickshaws that are following the 1/4 rule (one driver and four passengers) and those who have valid documentations, as they can run on link roads in the metropolis.Talking to PPI, Dr Amir said a few weeks back, the Sindh High Court had banned illegal Chingchi rickshaws and those CNG rickshaws having up to nine seats.

He said that during the hearing in Sindh High Court on Thursday, the court ordered the Karachi Traffic Police focal person to halt the action against CNG rickshaws that were following the rule and had valid documentations until the final judgement. The ban on Chingchi rickshaws would, however, remain intact. He said they did not have any issue with any vehicle unless if they were following the rules and regulations as per the law.Meanwhile, the Chingchi rickshaw owners and drivers on Friday appealed from the Sindh government to allow the rickshaws for link roads on the basis of fitness, according to the Sindh High Court (SHC) decision, by giving them route permits.

Addressing a press conference at Karachi Press Club, Association for the Welfare of Chingchi Owners and Staff President Atif Raza Rajput said while obeying the decision of SHC, they had stopped the Chingchi operations on main arteries. He said that they had agreed to replace the weak engines with powerful engines and pay all sorts of taxes announced by the Sindh government.Rajput said due to ban on Chingchi rickshaws, thousands of people had become jobless and were living with economic hardships. He said the previous day, a Chingchi rickshaw driver Zulfiqar Ali had committed suicide because it had become difficult for him to make both ends meet.

“We do not want to see such suicides anymore,” he said adding “the government should give legal status to Chingchi rickshaws. Their registration procedure and rout permit policies should be made easy so that the jobless persons could earn with dignity.” The association has filed a petition in Supreme Court of Pakistan to review SHC ban on main arteries.On the other hand, a large number of drivers of motorcycle rickshaws held a protest demonstration on Friday, demanding regularisation of their vehicles.Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi and the CNG rickshaws’ association jointly held a protest demonstration at NIPA Chowrangi.

Speaking on the occasion, All Karachi Qingqi Welfare Association (AKQWA) President Safdar Shah Qadri said that they had been demanding for regularisation of the rickshaws but their demand was continuously neglected.He said that the rickshaws were banned on the pretext of creating hurdles in the smooth flow of traffic; however, the worst traffic jams were being witnessed despite the ban on the rickshaws.

“Transport and the excise departments have already completed their homework in this regard. However, no further action was being taken on this issue due to reasons unknown,” Qadri added.He demanded that the government release all those rickshaws impounded by the police during the recent campaign, which had multiplied the miseries of Karachiites, besides depriving 60,000 people of their livelihood.