PESHAWAR: The district administration impounded 428 illegal rickshaws and cargo loaders on the first day of its campaign against unlicensed tri-wheelers here on Friday.

Additional deputy commissioner Dr Ahteshamul Haq told Dawn that around 100,000 illegal tri-wheelers operated in the provincial capital.

“Peshawar’s only 30,000 rickshaws are registered with the transport department,” he said.

Dr Haq said the transport department claimed that the capital had around 50,000 illegal tri-wheelers, while the traffic police put the number at around 100,000.

Traffic police insist such tri-wheelers total 0.1m

He said illegal tri-wheelers were banned by the provincial government but they continued to operate in the city.

The official said on the first day of the campaign, the administration was focusing its attention on the removal of illegal rickshaws from the main road from Chamkani to Jamrud. He said the government had begun the bus rapid transit service on the route by spending billions of rupees.

“We are removing illegal rickshaws from this route so that the commuters should better use the BRT,” he said.

Dr Haq said the impounded vehicles included those without registration or permit, and with documents tampered with, or with registration from other districts, cities or provinces.

He said the vehicles were impounded on the GT Road and University Road and that the rickshaw drivers union was taken on board about the crackdown.

The official said the administration had planned to impound 1,000 illegal rickshaws on the first day of the campaign and would try to increase the number afterwards.

The drive was launched in line with a decision made during a meeting of the traffic management plan committee of Peshawar district.

Towards the end of Feb, the transport department had cancelled the registration of the manufacturers and distributors of four-stroke motorcycle-rickshaws, insisting the move will address traffic congestion in the provincial capital. It had said the move was aimed at smashing the auto-rickshaw supply chain.

Meanwhile, sources told Dawn that the authorities had decided to impound vehicles for around three months.

“We can either seize vehicles for a long period or impose heavy fine on their owners. The problem with heavy fine is that a court may reduce the amount,” a source said.

He said the illegal tri-wheelers would be impounded for three months with the administration trying to figure out in that period how to dispose them of.

Regarding owners of such rickshaws, the source said the government was considering a proposal to provide some alternate source of income to them.

“Rickshaw drivers are likely be covered in an employment scheme of the Bank of Khyber,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2022