KARACHI, March 12: Almost a year has passed since the approval of a summary for the regularisation of motorcycle rickshaws but the process has been stalled for want of fitness certificate supposed to be issued by the traffic police, it emerged on Saturday.

Officials of the Sindh government’s excise and taxation department said that a huge number of unregistered motorcycle rickshaws of various brands such as Qingqi were plying in different parts of the province, especially in small towns, in violation of the Motor Vehicle Ordinance, 1965.

The officials said that similar motorcycle rickshaws had already been brought under the tax net in Punjab. They added that the issuance of fitness certificates by the traffic police was perhaps the only impediment in the registration of motorcycle rickshaws in Sindh.

Sources said that both the registration of these commercial vehicles and the issuance of route permits would be done once the motorcycle rickshaws got fitness certificates from the traffic police.

Over a couple of weeks ago, the Sindh government had amended the West Pakistan Motor Vehicles Rules, in exercise of its powers conferred under the provincial motor vehicle ordinance, 1969, to accommodate the motorcycle rickshaws.

On Feb 21, the Sindh government issued a notification in this regard, stating that in rule 2, after clause (f) of the West Pakistan Motor Vehicles Rules, the following shall be added: “(ff) Motor cycle rickshaw qingqi means a motor vehicle with three wheels the unladen weight of which does not exceed 900 pounds avoirdupois, constructed, adapted or used for private purposes, other than for hire or reward, to carry not more than four persons excluding the driver on designated routes”.

The sources said that the summary for the regularisation of motorcycle rickshaws that the excise and taxation secretary had moved last year proposed to the government that the transport department and the DIG traffic concerned be asked to issue route permits and fitness certificates to the vehicles, respectively.

They added that the home secretary endorsed the views of the excise and taxation secretary. In his comments on the summary, the home secretary stated: “These vehicles should be registered as commercial vehicles. Transport secretary must ensure that motorcycle rickshaws are given proper route permits and DIG traffic should ensure that fitness certificates be issued to these vehicles according to the relevant law,” he maintained.

“At the same time, this form of motor transport must not be allowed to ply on main roads and highways and their movement must be restricted to designated routes for which they have been permitted,” the home secretary added.

In agreement with what the home secretary stated, the chief secretary said it was a matter of great concern that a number of motorcycle rickshaws had been plying on different routes in various cities of the province for a considerable amount of time yet they had not been brought under the umbrella of government revenue/ taxation (motor registration, route permits, fitness certificate). He said: “It is high time that they should be brought under the tax net and be regulated under the prevalent rules enforced for other commercial vehicles by the government of Sindh.”

When DIG Traffic Khurram Gulzar was contacted for his version over the issue, he said that some formalities such as the approval of the design for the three-wheeler remained to be fulfilled.

However, he said, he was not aware about the amendment made for motorcycle rickshaws to the Motor West Pakistan Motor Vehicle Rules, 1969.It is worth noting here that the operators of these vehicles have been facing a stiff resistance from transport unions that had moved court against the commercial operation of unregistered vehicles some time back.

A two-member bench of the Sindh High Court comprising the then Chief Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Justice Ghulam Sarwar Korai passed an order in the case on Feb 3, 2011. The court directed the government to ensure that the motorcycles which had been converted into motorcycle rickshaws meet all legal requirements. The court also directed the government that negotiation in this connection should be held with the association of motorcycle rickshaw owners so that the vehicles were properly registered as per rules and given specific route permits.