April 20, 2008	Sunday	Rabi-us-Sani 13, 1429

ISLAMABAD, April 19: Launched under the slogan of providing jobs to the poor in September 2006, the President’s Rozgar Scheme has emerged as a burden on the people in the Rawalpindi region, as CNG rickshaws financed under the programme have turned out to be fraught with manufacturing faults.

The National Bank of Pakistan has delivered 47 rickshaws in the Rawalpindi region so far. However, its offices have sought an immediate halt to the scheme until the manufacturers remove the faults.

Sources told Dawn that market and client feedback received by the bank had found that instead of benefiting the poor clients, the scheme had inflicted losses on them. Majority of the vehicles distributed under the scheme are now off the road within just a year of their distribution.

According to the feedback, the rickshaws are suffering from abnormal engine heat expulsion besides producing abnormal busting sound, like a tractor.

The three-wheeler has no capacity to propel and pull on steep roads and loses motion frequently. It also suffers from frequent clutch cable breaking, leakage of engine oil and wiring breakdown, according to the complaints received by the bank.

There are also complaints about the vehicle’s body getting rust with the paint fading too fast. Its acceleration system is also said to be defective. It has no pick up capacity and cannot run over 20 kilometers per hour in fourth gear.

The bank has also found that in fact no shock-observers had been fitted in the vehicles which created problems for the drivers and commuters even on smooth roads. The gas kits are also believed to be non-tunable besides the issue of shafts and cross jams.