LAHORE, May 30: Justice Muhammad Bilal Khan of the Lahore High Court on Tuesday disposed of several writ petitions, which disputed the Punjab government’s decision to ban the entry of two-stroke rickshaws on The Mall.

The court, however, directed the provincial government to accommodate the petitioners, mostly office-bearers of their unions, in the committee constituted to consider the impact of noise and smoke pollution in the city. The court said the union leaders might contribute to formulating recommendations for the government to overcome the impact of pollution.

The petitioners had contended that banning the entry of two-stroke rickshaws on the Mall was discriminatory. They stated that the government-sponsored CNG rickshaw was being sold around Rs150,000 and almost all the drivers did not afford to buy the expensive vehicle.

As for the conversion of two-stroke rickshaws on CNG, they submitted that it cost them more than Rs20,000 which was beyond their means.