LAHORE, May 1: To replace two-stroke rickshaws with CNG-fitted four-stroke by December in five major cities of Punjab, the provincial government has engaged 11 more factories to improve the production of new brand rickshaws, Dawn has learnt. Earlier, the government had engaged three factories to manufacture three-wheelers.

The government decided in 2005 to replace two-stroke three-wheelers with CNG-fitted four-stroke rickshaws in Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi and Gujranwala by the end of 2007. Three manufacturers were ordered to produce 60,000 four-stroke vehicles, but they reportedly supplied 2,000 to the government which were now plying on city roads.

Environment Protection Department (EDP) sources said the slow production of the new product had forced the government to engage more units across Punjab and the NWFP. They said the government should have terminated the contracts of the already-engaged units for low production.

They said if the new inductions could not supply the product on time the government may extend the deadline to ban two-stroke rickshaws from city roads. They said the government had also relaxed some conditions it had imposed on drivers to obtain loans from banks and corporation to buy a four-stroke rickshaw.

The Punjab government faced embarrassment in 2005 when it banned the manufacturing of two-stroke rickshaws from Jan 2006 but it had to lift it forthwith following an objection from the federal government.

The provincial government reportedly banned registration and release of fitness certificate to the owners of two-stroke rickshaws throughout Punjab from Jan 2006. But there are reports that some (rickshaw owners) still acquire the same in backdates.

“When the EPD launched a campaign against two-stroke rickshaws sometimes ago, the price of a two-stroke decreased and most of the drivers looked for four-stroke ones. But they were not available in the market thereby the price of the two-stroke rikshaws again got sustained,” said rickshaw driver Sadiq Husian. He said the two-stroke rickshaw was still being manufactured and transported to Sindh, Balochistan and the NWFP.