Environmental pollution: SHC orders action against smoke-emitting vehicles

The petitioner alleged that authorities were silent because many vehicles belonged to police officials.

KARACHI:

The Sindh High Court (SHC) directed the motor vehicles’ registration wing of the provincial excise and taxation department and the Traffic police authorities to initiate action against the smoke-emitting public transport vehicles to protect the environment from pollution, on Monday.

Headed by Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, the bench passed this order on a non-profit organization’s plea seeking direction for the relevant departments to cancel fitness certificates of the smoke-emitting taxis and auto-rickshaws at the earliest.

Human Voice Welfare Association had taken the secretary and director of the provincial excise and taxation department and its motor vehicles registration wing, the traffic police’s deputy inspector general and the president of the Karachi Rickshaws and Taxi Owners Association to court for not taking action against the unfit public vehicles that spread environmental pollution in the city.



There are approximately 60,000 auto-rickshaws and around 15,000 taxies plying in the metropolis. The excise and taxation department is responsible for the issuance of fitness certificates under Section 39(1), Chapter III of the Provincial Motor Vehicles Ordinance 1965, which are required to run these public vehicles on roads, Advocate Abid Hussain, the NGO’s chairperson told the judges.

He said that the public transporters were legally bound to obtain fitness certificates from the department for which each vehicle must be in updated physical condition and there must be a ‘fare meter’ installed to charge the fare as per kilometer on officially prescribed rates. On the contrary, more than 60 per cent of the public transport (rickshaws and taxies) were operating without a fare meter, charging unauthorised exorbitant fares from the citizens, he alleged.

The petitioner claimed that unfit vehicles were creating environmental pollution by emitting smoke but the authorities were not taking action against because 80 per cent of these vehicles belonged to the police officials themselves.



He pleaded to the court to direct the motor vehicles registration wing of the excise and taxation department to cancel fitness certificate issued to the unfit taxis and rickshaws. He also sought a direction for the Karachi Rickshaw and Taxi Owners Association to ensure each rickshaw and taxi had a fare meter installed.

Meanwhile, the bench directed the excise and taxation department’s motor vehicles registration wing and traffic police chief to ensure action was taken against the vehicles emitting excessive smoke in accordance with law and ensure environmental protection. The hearing was adjourned for a date to be later notified by the office.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 20^th, 2013.