LAHORE, Nov 15: The Rickshaw-Taxi United Front (RTUF) has held traffic police, environment department, petrol pumps and bogus manufacturing firms more responsible for air pollution than the owners and drivers.

Speaking at a news conference here on Thursday, RTUF general secretary Muhammad Javed Sabir said the rickshaw owners were ready to take all measures but the government should ensure unadulterated petrol and quality mobil-oil at petrol pumps.

He criticized the statement of SSP traffic Col Zaheerul Hasan that cases would be registered against the owners of smoke-emitting rickshaws. Mr Sabir said the traffic police were only campaigning against rickshaws.

“The traffic police are allowing all smoke-emitting wagons, trollies and other vehicles to ply on roads after getting bribe on monthly basis from their owners.

“Despite complaints, the government had not even changed the in charges of bus and wagon stands, who are collecting ‘monthlies’.

“The traffic police’s own vehicles and motorcycles emit heavy smoke and were never maintained”.

Similarly, he said, the environment protection department was also not checking the big smoke-emitting factories. It also ‘mis-appropriated’ CNG kits, which were supposed to be delivered to rickshaw owners freely, he alleged.

Answering a question, he said rickshaws’ noise could be controlled by a special silencer which was approved by the government in 1979, while smoke could be controlled by availability of quality mobil-oil at petrol-pumps.

He also alleged that some rickshaw manufacturing firms were involved in selling stolen rickshaws under their invoices.

Mr Sabir demanded that the government should withdraw powers granted to traffic head-constables to impose fines, remove the known corrupt officials from the excise and taxation departments and brig to book the fake rickshaw manufacturing firms.

“If these demands were not met, the RTUF would hold protest demonstrations and stop rickshaws from coming on roads on December 27,” he said.