PESHAWAR: The owners of filling stations and traders have rejected ban on sale of petrol to motorcyclists without helmets and demanded of the district administration to withdraw the order.

Addressing a joint meeting of filling station owners and Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry here on Wednesday, the traders said that government should announce complete ban on riding motorbikes without helmets instead of ban on sale of petrol to the bikers.

Besides others, the meeting was addressed by SCCI president Maqsood Anwar Pervaiz and Sarhad Petroleum Cartage and Dealers Association representative Lais Khan.

The speakers said that ban on sale of petrol to motorcyclists without helmets had badly affected their business. They threatened to launch protest if government did not take notice of the decisions regarding imposition of heavy fines, sealing of petrol pumps and arresting the owners of filling stations.

They said that the decision of district authorities was acceptable to them it was affecting their business.

Speaking on the occasion, Anwar Pervaiz said it was responsibility of traffic police, excise and other relevant departments to implement road safety rules but the duty was shifted from government officials to business community, which was unacceptable to them.

“Business activities are already on the decline due to different reasons including the ongoing Bus Rapid Transit project and prolonged terrorism. The district administration’s decision would further aggravate the situation,” he said.

Mr Pervaiz said that the decision was made without taking business community into confidence so how it could be implemented through the owners of filling stations. He asked the government to devise business-friendly policies.

He demanded of the district administration to withdraw the notification regarding ban on sale of petrol to bikers without helmet and take traders on board before implementation of such policies.

Lais Khan said on the occasion that filling station owners had already extended cooperation to the government but they were unable to stop sale of petrol to bikers as it would bring the entire business to a standstill in the provincial metropolis.

Meanwhile, according to a statement, Peshawar Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Ali Asghar has exempted the members of Sikh community from the condition of wearing helmets during purchase of petrol from the filling stations.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2019