PESHAWAR: Commissioner Peshawar Riaz Khan Mehsud has ordered the closer of all rickshaws manufacturing units to ease the traffic mess in the capital city.
In his meeting with traffic police and other concerned officials, the commissioner directed to get the cooperation of the Rickshaw Union to scrap illegal and two-stroke three-wheeler to protect the environment. Mehsud also directed to cancel driving licenses of under age rickshaw drivers.
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The commissioner also ordered that without route permit Qinqui and rickshaws will be declared illegal and will be confiscated. The administration has also imposed ban on two stroke rickshaws and decided to scrape them after paying compensation to its owners. The drivers have been instructed to carry original registration and permit issued by the transport and Excise and Transport authorities. It was also decided to take action against the owners sections under 419 and 420 by operating more than one rickshaw on one registration number.
The Rickshaw Union President Baaz Muhammad told Mashriq TV that they have raised the issue of thousands of illegal three-wheeler with authorities but the government was not serious in taking an effective action. Baaz said that the vehicles with valid NOCs are in trouble due to the routine police actions and traffice disruption created by illegal vehicles. He said that besides the rickshaws manufacturing units in Peshawar, new rickshaws are making entry into the city despite the ban on permits and registration.
The General Secretary of Rickshaw union Izat Khan said that although the excise department has stopped registration of new rickshaws in the city, but still they are entering in the city and are in operation on old registration numbers. Izat Khan said that now the government has decided to scrap 8200 registered two-stroke rickshaws but it will render the driver jobless. Therefore, the government should only go after illegal and unregistered vehicles to resolve the traffic issues.