Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, in a ceremony to distribute 4-stroke CNG rickshaws to owners here on Saturday, said the government was promoting the use of CNG for providing pollution-free and inexpensive fuel for transport and a Green Fund of Rs 1 billion had been established for extending interest-free loans for converting 2-stroke rickshaws into 4-stroke and diesel engine buses to CNG.
He said indigenously manufactured 4-stroke CNG rickshaws had been introduced in the market, which would help overcome noise and smoke pollution in the province.
The chief minister said the government was fully encouraging production of CNG rickshaws at the local level and loans were also being extended for the purchase of these rickshaws, adding the government would pay mark-up on these loans from Green Fund.
He averred under 4-stroke CNG rickshaws project, initiated by Bank of Punjab, all major cities of the province would have only 4-stroke CNG rickshaws by December 2007, which would also generate job opportunities for the unemployed. He said this project would bring about revolutionary changes in social and economic sectors.
Pervaiz Elahi said the efforts of the government to convert public transport buses to CNG would also prove fruitful, adding aid all public transport in the province will be converted to CNG.
He said in the first phase, the route permit will be issued only to CNG buses in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan and Faisalabad, adding the use of CNG would reduce fuel expenditure as well as help overcome environmental pollution.
Punjab Transport Minister Rana Shamshad Ahmad Khan said that introduction of 4-stroke CNG transport was a revolutionary step of the present government.
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