Qinqis’ registration likely to get delayed over engineering faults

The process of fitness, safety and registration of Qinqi rickshaws could be delayed for one-year as the Sindh transport department has identified 17 engineering defects in these rickshaws which need to be rectified by their manufacturing companies for ensuring safety of commuters, and also that the transport department could issue them fitness certificates, said an official of the Sindh transport department on Friday.

The transport department has pointed out 17 engineering defects in Qinqis including lack of hydraulic brakes, reverse brakes, and safe infrastructure, which is dangerous for commuters, particularly old men, women and children, said Sindh Transport Department’s Component Manager of PAKSTRAN Yar Muhammad while talking to PPI.

Yar Muhammad said they had asked the manufacturing companies concerned to rectify safety issues in Qinqi rickshaws identified by the Sindh transport department so that the department could issue them fitness and registration certificates. The safety of commuters was more important than their transportation, he added.

He said as per the Supreme Court orders they were working to give those rickshaws a proper look and would register them under the transport department, but the safety issue should be resolved before allowing them to operate in city’s roads.

Yar Muhammad said after the fitness and registration of those bike rickshaws, only licenced drivers would be allowed to drive rickshaws in the city. It may be noted that shortage of doctors and equipment at all three branches of Karachi licence department was causing trouble to new applicants who want their licences.

Only one doctor is working in the licence department in place of four doctors to conduct the medical fitness tests of majority of applicants applying for learner and permanent licences in all three licence branches including Korongi licence branch, Nazimabad licence branch and Clifton licence branch.

The department will be unable to accommodate a large number of unlicenced Qingqi rickshaw drivers who will shortly apply for their Motor Cab Rickshaw (MCR) Licence to run their Qingqi rickshaws in the city.

The establishing of new 18 licence centers at town level and four full-fledged licence branches in the remaining districts of the city is in doldrums as the Sindh government has delayed the issuance of funds. As a result, the citizens are suffering inconvenience of standing in long queues for hours for applying their licences.