Scores of van drivers staged a demonstration here on Wednesday against a campaign for removal of CNG cylinders from passenger’s compartment of their vehicles.
They said contrary to the city officials’ claims, installation of CNG cylinders on the vehicles’ roofs was hazardous.
The protesting drivers parked their vans on Circular Road, Chiniot Bazaar Chowk, Katchery Bazaar Chowk and Rail Bazaar Gumti Chowk.
They alleged that the local administration and traffic police were harassing them. They also accused the traffic police of impounding vans to extort bribes.
Suleman Ali, one of the protesters, said the administration had first encouraged van drivers to convert their vehicles to CNG.
Now, he said, it had started removing them over fitness concerns.
He said the drivers were kept waiting for weeks while the cylinders were sent for laboratory tests. Now, he said, the drivers were being told to remove the gas cylinders and install them on the roofs.
Noor Ahmad, another protester, said traffic wardens were “unfairly” fining drivers for not installing cylinders on the top of their vehicles.
“The district government and traffic police have made a pastime of harassing us,” he said.
He said several complaints to the higher authorities had been ignored.
The van drivers’ protest caused problems users of public transport. Some of them said they waited for vans on major routes for as much as three hours.
College and university students complained that they could not reach their institutions on time. They said seeing the van drivers protest, rickshaw drivers demanded higher fares.
Amina Rahseed, a third year student at the Government College University Faisalabad, said the van and rickshaw drivers’ frequent protests were affecting people’s routines.
The students demanded that the government take notice of these protests.
District Coordination Officer Najam Ahmad Shah said that no compromise would be made on the safety of travelling public. He said van drivers had been told not to install CNG cylinders inside the vehicles. He said the campaign against the use of substandard CNG cylinders would continue until the administration was fully satisfied.
According to the Transport Department rules, he said, vans were not allowed more than two CNG cylinders of 60 pounds each. They could also not install them inside the vehicles. They could not store extra fuel in bottles or drums.
He said the drivers’ negligence had already resulted in several tragic incidents and deaths.
“We can’t risk more lives,” he said.
The protesters dispersed when Muhammad Imtiaz, a representative of the chief traffic officer, visited the scene and told them that the CPO had extended the deadline of CNG cylinder fitting on the top of the vehicles till June 30. He asked the van drivers to avail the opportunity.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 13th, 2013.