LAHORE, Sept 1: A silencer manufactured by a rickshaw driver was declared environmentally-friendly on Monday by a committee constituted by the Punjab Environment Department.

The department also directed all rickshaw makers to install the new silencer in the three-wheelers, manufactured by them.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the committee, presided over by EPD secretary Kamran Lashari.

Sultan Haider had sought the help of the EPD in examining his auto-rickshaw fitted with the silencer he manufactured in July on his own at a cost of Rs600.

The committee members checked many rickshaw silencers but found that the one made by Sultan met the National Environment Quality Standards (NEQS) and does not emit smoke more than that of a four-stoke engine.

It said that all rickshaw manufacturers would have to ensure instalment of environment-friendly silencers in the vehicles.

The meeting also decided that the transport secretary would be asked not to issue fitness certificates to vehicles without smoke and noise-free silencers.

Muttahida Mahaz Rickshaw Taxi Driver Association secretary Javed Sabir assured the meeting that the association would persuade the drivers to replace the existing silencers of their vehicles with the new ones.

He said the union would also try to remove misconception of the rickshaw drivers that any modern silencer damage rickshaw engine.

He also proposed a ban on the manufacturing of motorcycle-rickshaw in order to control pollution in the province. He said that over 8,000 motorcycle rickshaws had been registered with the transport department as motorcycles. These vehicles owners had neither route permits nor motor vehicle fitness certificates, he added.

SSP traffic Aziz Malik, provincial transport authority secretary Tariq Bajwa, EPD deputy director Nasimur Rehman and Pak Hero Industries chief executive Muhammad Shahid attended the meeting.