Transport secy told to discuss registration of Qingqis with owners

Karachi
The Supreme Court directed the transport secretary on Thursday to hold a meeting with Qingqi associations, its manufacturers and other authorities concerned to sort out the issue of the registration of motorcycle rickshaws and their operations in Karachi.
The apex court was hearing a petition filed by Qingqi owners against the judgement of the Sindh High Court, which in its verdict on August 5, had banned the plying of motorcycle rickshaws in the city and ordered the transport and traffic authorities to take immediate action against them as they had no registration and fitness certificates and route permits.
The petitioner, Altaf Raza, a representative of Qingqi rickshaw welfare association, had challenged the high court’s order and submitted that the families of rickshaw owners were suffering because of the ban.
The petitioner’s counsel, Abdul Waheed, submitted in the petition that the transport department, through a notification on October 5, 2010, had ordered the completion of motorcycle rickshaws’ registration process and allowed them to ply the roads after that.
He stated that the transport and traffic authorities were not giving route permits and registration certificates to motorcycle rickshaws.
A two-member bench of the apex court headed by Gulzar Ahmed asked the transport secretary as to why motorcycle rickshaws were banned in the city without giving any alternative transport system to the citizens.
The transport secretary submitted that motorcycle rickshaw owners were not following the motor vehicles ordinance and violating traffic laws by plying vehicles on highways and main roads.
The secretary sought time to hold a meeting with Qingqi rickshaws operators and other stakeholders to discuss proposals for an interim regulation of motorcycle rickshaws.

Health facilities
The apex court expressed its dissatisfaction over the government’s report on the provision of medical facilities at government-run hospitals in Tharparkar and directed the health secretary to submit a report after visiting all health centers in the district.
A two-member bench of the court, headed by Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany, was hearing suo moto proceedings initiated over the death of over 100 children in Tharparkar because of acute malnutrition and diseases in the district.
Special health secretary Riaz Ahmed Memon submitted a report about on the budget allocated for medicines during the current fiscal year. It was stated in the report that the funds for medicines for government-run hospitals had been increased by 18.5 percent.