The suburbs of city of Lahore are flooded with motorcycle rickshaws of different makes and categories.
There is no doubt that motorcycle rickshaws have gone a long way in solving the unemployment problem and also brought a relief to the poor by providing an affordable means of transport and this is a feather in the cap of the Government of Punjab.
But what is surprising is the proliferation of unauthorised motorcycle rickshaws manufactured by roadside mechanics without taking into account the engineering, quality and safety aspects.
These mechanics manufacture motorcycle rickshaw bodies without having any valid license from government of Punjab or certification from the Pakistan Standard Institute of Quality Control (PSIQC) and after purchasing front portion of second hand or new motorcycles of different brands, put them together and sell them as motorcycle rickshaws and get handsome profit. They do not pay any kind of sales tax to the government.
These rickshaws are registered as motorcycle not as motorcycle rickshaws. By registering as motorcycle they not only avoid the standards set by government of Punjab for motorcycle rickshaws but also save money as registration cost of motorcycle is Rs 1650 with lifelong token and for motorcycle rickshaw the cost is approximately Rs 5000 for one year being a commercial vehicle.
In this way a huge revenue loss is caused to government initially in the form of non-payment of taxes at the time the product is sold and then by avoiding registering as three wheelers.
It may be mentioned here that Engineering Development Board (EDB) in the year 2001 allowed Qingqi to manufacture three-wheelers and PSIQC also certified their products.
The government of Punjab in 2001 issued standards for all the operating motorcycle rickshaws to be followed and allowed a period of two years for illegal motorcycle rickshaws to convert the product as per government standards but even after a lapse of that period nothing was done to implement the same.
These rickshaws are increasing every day and if a thorough check is made by any department it will transpire that more than 50% of these are unauthorised vehicles having already caused millions of rupees of revenue loss to the government.
Who is responsible for this state of affairs? Is it Regional Transport Authority (RTA). Vehicle Examination Office, Excise and Taxation Department or Traffic Police?
When so many departments are involved nobody takes the responsibility.
It's time for the government of Punjab to wake ups and take notice.