Road fury: Unregistered rickshaws with two-stroke engines irk residents of Mingora

Locals say traffic wardens collude with drivers, allow two rickshaws to bear one registration number

MINGORA: At least 20,000 rickshaws run on narrow roads of main Mingora city each day. The figure that may appear benign at first glance has immensely multiplied the traffic problems of residents.

The number of unregistered rickshaws stands at 15,000. They have outnumbered the number of registered rickshaws in the city, which are around at 5,000.

A majority of drivers do not possess legal documents and permits for their vehicles and some even forge incorrect registration number on vehicle plates. As if the legal repercussions were not adequate, rickshaw drivers have also fit two-stroke engines which not only produce loud noise but also emit thick smoke contributing to environmental hazards.

Most owners and drivers are also below the legal driving age and the fear of accidents and reckless driving in the city has increased, much to the distress of many residents.

Voicing grievances

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Iqbal Hussain, a resident of Mingora, said the number of unregistered rickshaws in the city has increased dramatically and they cause heavy traffic jams on congested roads of the city.

He said the government has banned two-stroke rickshaws in many districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, but the authorities were reluctant to ban them in Swat district. “You can see drivers bringing rickshaws into Swat without any difficulty from other districts where a ban has been imposed on them,” Hussain said.

He added the administration in Swat paid no heed to the illegal infiltration of the vehicles into the district.

Shafiq Ahmad, another local, said many rickshaws that were plying on roads bore the same registration numbers which meant traffic wardens will not be able to trace any crimes.

“Most drivers fix the numbers with traffic registration authority and then alter them on vehicles illegally brought into Swat district,” he said.

Accusing traffic wardens of colluding with drivers, Shafiq said, “Everyone knows traffic wardens are colluding with drivers and making money by permitting more than one vehicle to carry allotted registration number for one rickshaw.”

The drivers also use substandard engine oil for ignition and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) both of which burn together in two-stroke engines, emitting toxic smoke and creating noise pollution.

“The black smoke and loud noise of rickshaws have made life miserable in the city,” Hussain Ali, another local, told The Express Tribune.

He added these proscribed vehicles have poor navigation system and drivers never bother to follow traffic rules. “This causes accidents – something that has become common in the city,” Ali said.

The residents demanded Swat DPO take stern action against drivers of unregistered rickshaws and end the growing traffic problems in the city.

“This is a serious problem and traffic controlling authority should give up on colluding with wrongdoers to ensure smooth traffic flow on the roads,” another local said.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 20^th, 2016.