Qingqi rickshaw owners challenge ban in SC

Karachi
Qingqi motorcycle rickshaw owners filed a petition in the Supreme Court on Monday against the Sindh High Court judgment that banned the plying of motorcycle rickshaws in the city, and ordered the provincial transport authorities to take action against the rickshaws.
The SHC on August 5 had banned the motorcycle rickshaws in the city, and directed the transport and traffic authorities to take immediate action all the wheelers, which were running on roads with impunity and without any fitness certificate, route permit and registration certificate.
The petitioner, Altaf Raza, a representative of Qingqi rickshaw welfare associations, challenged the high court’s order, and submitted that the families of rickshaw owners were facing hardships due to the ban.
His counsel, Syed Abdul Waheed, submitted in the petition that the transport department through its notification on October 5, 2010 had ordered the completion of the registration process of motorcycle rickshaws and allowed them to ply on roads after completing the required legal formalities.
He said the transport and traffic authorities were not giving route permits and registration certificates to motorcycle rickshaws, and as a result their operators were unable to carry out their business and earn their livelihood. The court was prayed to set aside the high court’s order and direct the authorities to complete the registration process of the rickshaws and issue route permits to them.
The SHC had observed in its order that the Qingqi rickshaw owners failed to place any record or representation requesting the authorities to issue the fitness certificate, route permit or registration certificate of such vehicles.
It had observed that motorcycle rickshaws do not meet the requisite specifications and requirements of the law nor do they qualify under the presidential scheme to which the rickshaw owners attempted to link the plying the motorcycle rickshaws. The court observed that since the official respondents did not take any prompt legal action against such violator, their number has increased tremendously and the traffic conditions in Karachi as well as in other big cities of the province had become alarmingly hazardous and painful to a large number of citizens, who otherwise plied their private or public vehicles after complying with the motor vehicle laws.