March 11, 2007	Sunday	Safar 21, 1428

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LAHORE, March 10: The City District Government, Lahore, has decided to ban two-stroke auto rickshaws on two more roads - Jail Road and Gulberg’s Main Boulevard - as a part of the second phase of its plan to eliminate the three-wheelers notorious for creating noise and air pollution by December 2007.

Owners and drivers of these rickshaws are likely to be issued one-month notice next week through an advertisement in the national press informing them of the ban which will come into effect around mid-April, it is learnt.

Plying of these vehicles has already been banned on The Mall. The restriction on Jail Road was to take effect from September 1, 2006, and on Canal Bank Road from Nov 17, 2006. The step was delayed as under the plan submitted with the Lahore High Court, 2,000 CNG-run four-stroke rickshaws were required on the city roads before going for the ban so that commuters did not suffer because of shortage of the comparatively cheap cab.

CDGL officials had been holding the transport department responsible for the situation as the latter had been delaying issuance of NoC for new four-stroke CNG-rickshaw manufacturing.

The companies assigned the task were failing on their promises of providing a specific number of units each month. And the units being marketed so far lack quality, they say.

The officials claim that as now 2,049 CNG rickshaws have come on roads they are initiating the second phase of restrictions.

Nine companies had been approved by the transport department as eligible to qualify for inclusion in the Chief Minister’s Green Punjab Programme. Under the scheme, people may get the CNG rickshaws against a down payment of Rs27,000 and pay the rest of the amount in installment.

Of these companies, Sazgar has so far supplied 979 vehicles, MJ 389, Pak Hero 380, Qingqi 110, Sprinter 105, Tiger 50, Vespa 24 and Pak Tatara 12. The Master has failed to provide even a single unit.

Sources say that three more companies have been declared as qualified for inclusion in the scheme, while cases of two more are under process.

One of the new entrants - LG - intends to supply only CNG-fitted three-wheeled loaders.