KARACHI, May 1: The Sindh Transport Department is going to re-invite private automobile manufacturing companies to take over the inspection of vehicle fitness and issuing of fitness certificates to eliminate smoke-emitting and outdated commercial and private vehicles in the city.

According to the sources in the department, a decision to privatise motor vehicle fitness wing due to the failure of the traffic police, was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by the Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad a few months back.

Currently, over 200,000 commercial vehicles including, minibuses, rickshaws, taxis, trucks, trailers, water tankers, dumper and loaders are plying on city roads and a majority of them do not meet the fitness criteria.

Almost all the rickshaws do not use the prescribed cylinders, causing noise pollution.

It may be mentioned here that in other parts of the country the authorities do not allow rickshaws without cylinders.

Sources said that the Sindh Transport Department had floated a tender about a month back but it had to cancel it as noted automobile companies did not participate in the bid.

Some inexperienced companies had submitted their documents but were rejected as they did not meet the tender requirements, particularly well-equipped workshops, sources added.

This time, sources said, the provincial government would directly approach Nissan, Siemens, Hinopak etc to consider its offer. The provincial government will re-tender the privatisation motor vehicle fitness in the next couple of days, sources added.-—Online