Authorities will decide the fate of controversial ‘motorcycle-rickshaw’ on August 1 as grievances about the vehicle increase with every day passing.According to our Lahore Transport Company (LTC) sources, a committee under the Chairmanship of Maher Ishtiaq would meet on Thursday to review the issue as well as consequences of the vehicle’s ban. They added that all committee members would submit their proposals and thoroughly discuss the consequences of the possible ban on the 45,000 motorcycle-rickshaws in the city.They confided that the Environment Protection Department (EPD) and the City Traffic Police were pressing hard to impose the immediate ban on the unauthorised vehicle in Lahore as it was a chief source of smoke and noise pollution in the city.They added that political figures were resorting to political diplomacy and pressure and were trying to fizzle out the pressure for immediate restrictions on ply of motorcycle-rickshaws as more than 90,000 families’ livelihoods were directly attached to these vehicles.However, the sources added that another proposal was also under consideration to give 4-stroke CNG rickshaws to the motorcycle-rickshaw owners on easy-installment basis. They added that in the last committee meeting under LTC Chairman Khawaja Ahmed Hassan, the issue was thoroughly discussed and the committee members were asked to formulate different proposals to resolve the issue.Khawaja was of the view that the emotional and human aspect of the issue illustrated that around 45,000 motorcycle-rickshaws operating in the city provided livelihood to thousands of people, and that action on a large scale would also affect individuals who manufactured and repaired the motorcycle-rickshaws, they added.The illegal conversion of motorcycles into motorcycle-rickshaws had risen and remained unchecked. The sorry side of the issue was that the politicians, in order to secure electoral support in their respective constituencies, were not highlighting the negative impacts of this vehicle on appropriate forums. While the Punjab government, under the directions of Lahore High Court, phased out two-stroke auto rickshaws, motorcycle-rickshaws, two-stroke transport vehicles and diesel buses from the big cities of Punjab by December 2007, and additionally promoted the 4-stroke CNG rickshaw culture in the province, compliance of these directions was not made by any of the government officials.It was interesting to note that these motorcycle-rickshaws were being encouraged to replace donkey carts, tonga and buffalo carts from the city’s roads. The previous provincial government even facilitated these vehicles by giving them a free hand for two years. During these two years, motorcycle-rickshaws were neither asked for driving documents including licenses, vehicle fitness certificates, route permits or other allied documents, nor were they obstructed by the traffic police.Traffic police sources said that they were also directed by their superiors to overlook the violations committed by these motorcycle-rickshaws as government was only interested in phasing out ‘tongas’ from provincial capital.Citizens believe that the ban on motorcycle-rickshaws would provide them a healthy environment and reduce their traffic problems, but it would worsen the already booming unemployment and poverty.
