Union wants court to ban Qingqi rickshaws

Union of transporters goes to court against six-seater motorcycle rickshaws, say they are environmentally unfriendly.

KARACHI: A union of transporters has gone to court against the Qingqi, pronounced Ching-chee, or six-seater motorcycle rickshaws, saying that they are not environmentally friendly.

The Karachi Transport Ittehad named the Sindh transport secretary and other officials as respondents in a petition filed with the Sindh High Court. The court issued notices to them for Nov 12.

The union’s secretary Syed Mehmood submitted through his lawyer Munsif Jan advocate that the motorcycle rickshaws were operating in different pockets of the city without any route permit or license. These rickshaws are driven mostly by two-stroke Yamaha motorcycle engines and are adding to environmental pollution and degradation, he submitted.

They are operating without the approval of fitness inspectors in violation of the Motor Vehicle Tax Ordinance. The petitioner prayed the court to declare them illegal and ban them.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 5^th, 2010.