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| Complete ban on two-stroke rickshaws in March 2010 |
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Saturday, November 07, 2009
By Ali Raza
LAHORE
THE Punjab government has warned owners of two-stroke rickshaw to upgrade engines of their vehicles to four-stroke as two-stroke rickshaws will be banned in province’s five major cities, including the provincial metropolis, after March 2010.
Sources in the Punjab Environmental Protection Department (EPD) revealed that the ban will be implemented in Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan and Rawalpindi. Sources said the decision was made after meetings with all stake holders, including the Punjab Transport Department, Traffic Police authorities, the City District Government Lahore and the Environment Protection Department. The decision had been communicated to the Two Stroke Rickshaw Owners Association.
Sources said it would be very difficult for authorities to check the replaced engines as there were over 60,000 two-stroke rickshaws in Lahore alone.
Sources said some two days ago, a meeting was held with the environment secretary in chair. Officials of the Transport Department, Traffic Police and the City District Government Lahore participated in the meeting.
The meeting decided that CDGL authorities would submit a plan to phase out two-stroke rickshaws from the City until March 2010. Sources said the meeting decided that officials of the Transport Department would hold meetings with the association to thrash out technical issues.
Sources said the meeting also decided that rickshaws could be upgraded only by certified companies or individuals of the Pakistan Standard and Quality Control Authority (PSCQA). Sources said the meeting also decided that use of LPG would be prohibited.
A senior official of the CDGL said the Lahore High Court (LHC) had directed the Punjab government to remove two-stroke rickshaws from these five cities until December 2007. He said the previous government showed political will to implement the decision while the present setup was reluctant to enforce the ban.
He said earlier the CDGL evolved a complete strategy to phase out two-stroke rickshaws and these were banned in Cantonment, DHA, The Mall, Jail Road and Main Boulevard, Gulberg. He said the CDGL had now planned to ban two-stroke rickshaws on several other roads, which may include Allama Iqbal Road, Lower Mall and Canal Bank Road.
Naseem-ur-Rehman, a senior official of EPD, said the government was committed to providing a clean and pollution free environment to citizens and it had taken many revolutionary steps. He said the ban on two-stroke rickshaws was one of major moves in this regard because two stroke rickshaws were the major contributors to pollution. He said two-stroke rickshaws will be phased out until March 2010.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
