The Sindh transport department is yet to take over motor vehicle fitness powers, which are still exercised by traffic police, despite promulgation of amendments in motor vehicle ordinance on March 31, 2014, and its approval by Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad one month ago.
The provincial assembly passed an amendment to the Motor Vehicle Ordinance 1969, through which traffic penalties were modified and the authority of issuing fitness certificates to commercial and public transport vehicles was handed over to the provincial transport department.
According to an official in transport department, it has been one month since the department sent a summary to Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah for transfer of manpower and property being used by traffic police for fitness purposes. “Qaim Ali Shah has not yet given approval to the summary sent by the department,” he said.
The official set aside questions being raised by home department as to how the transport department would run the fitness affairs as these affairs were run by traffic police since promulgation of fitness rules and said that there was no need for transport department to devise a new mechanism or hire new people for this purpose as the entire system which was involved with traffic police would now work under the supervision of transport department.
He said there were some resistance from home department, traffic police and even motor vehicle inspection department for transfer of powers to transport department because they had been working with each other for a long time but now after final nod by the governor it was the responsibility of the government to shift powers to transport department.
The official set aside the reservation that transport department was not able to handle fitness of vehicles and said that in every province except Sindh, the fitness issues are dealt by transport department. “It will not be transport department that would deal with fitness issues in the province instead it would be the same motor vehicle inspection department that would deal with it after being transferred under their department,” he added.
He also set aside accusations made by some traffic police officials that the department wanted to take charge of fitness issues in order to regularize Qinqui Rickshaws in the city. “These rickshaws have been running on Karachi streets before this amendment was tabled in assembly with the nod of these traffic police officials,” he said, adding that the department was working closely to resolve this issue as jobs of hundreds of people were linked with it.
Talking to PPI, Secretary Transport Department Taha Farooqui acknowledged that the process was being initiated to take fitness powers under the department, however, he did not elaborate on the kind of process.
He said the department was taking every step to improve conditions of existing transport and bringing new transport facilities in the city to lessen miseries of people being faced during commuting.
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