KARACHI, May 8: City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal has said that no leniency would be shown over the issue of smoke-emitting vehicles as they were spreading cancer in the city.

Informally chatting with a group of journalists here on Monday, he remarked that the health and life of citizens were more precious than anything other. "We will not surrender to blackmailing."

In reply to a question, he observed that all vehicles declared unfit in other parts of the country were plying only in Karachi. He pointed out that in Lahore, no one could operate a public transport vehicle that was more than six years old and in Peshawar the validity was 11 years. He questioned the justification for allowing 50 and 60-year-old public transport vehicles to operate in Karachi.

He said that Karachi was the largest city of the country and being an international city, it should be a role model for other cities. He said that action against smoke-emitting vehicles had been ordered as per the directive of the Sindh High Court. He also asked for banning all public transport vehicles made before 1975. He said no objection in this regard should be entertained. The city nazim said that all such steps were being taken in the interest of citizens.

He noted that the court had issued the order a month back and transporters had sufficient time to make their vehicles fit, but they appeared not interested in improving the condition of their vehicles.

Mr Kamal pointed out that most of the public transport vehicles in the city were in a shabby condition and dangerous to public health. Replacing the obsolete with better things is a natural process and Karachiites should support the city government’s stance against the blackmailing on the part of those opposing the move because the city government wanted to protect the health and life of citizens.

Earlier, presiding over a meeting in his office, Syed Mustafa Kamal said that the city government was taking all out measures to control environmental pollution and to turn Karachi a pollution-free city.

He announced constitution of a high-level committee -- Clean Air Coordination Committee – which would work under the city government whereas the office of the World Conservation Union would serve as its secretariat.

He said the committee members would off and on exchange ideas on controlling pollution and play their role in formulating a concrete action plan in this regard, besides having inter-action with experts.

The city nazim said that due to environmental pollution, people of Karachi were suffering from various diseases. He said pollution had become a universal problem and if it was not controlled and taken up seriously at this stage, the situation would go beyond control in the coming days.-—APP

Source: http://www.dawn.com/2006/05/09/local3.htm