LAHORE, Sept 24: Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi on Saturday said the government was promoting the use of CNG to provide clean atmosphere and the best and low-cost transport facilities to the people. He was talking to reporters after giving away keys of new four-stroke CNG auto-rickshaws to their owners here. Transport Minister Rana Shamshad Ahmad Khan, Environment Minister Makhdoom Ashfaq Ahmad, Excise Minister Dr Shafiq Ahmad and senior government officials were also present on the occasion.

The chief minister said the government had already established a Rs1 billion green fund under which interest-free loans were being given to turn two-stroke rickshaws into four-stroke machines and to convert diesel buses into CNG vehicles.

He said the locally made four-stroke CNG rickshaw had been introduced in the market which would help control air and noise pollution.

The chief minister said the government was fully encouraging the local production of CNG rickshaws and providing loans for their purchase, paying the mark-up itself through the green fund.

He said under the four-stroke CNG rickshaw project launched by the Bank of Punjab such vehicles would be available to people all over the province by December 2007. This would provide job opportunities to the people and help alleviate poverty.

He said the project would bring about a revolutionary change in the socio-economic sector besides helping the government introduce CNG technology in buses.

The chief minister said all transport would be converted to the CNG in the province. And in the first phase route permits would be given to only the owners of CNG buses in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan and Faisalabad.