Sindh High Court Issues Notices Over Ban on Chingchi Rickshaws in Karachi

Karachi: The Sindh High Court has issued notices to the Sindh government, Commissioner Karachi, the Secretary of Transport, and other relevant authorities regarding the ban on chingchi rickshaws on the city’s main roads. The court was hearing a petition challenging the ban imposed on these rickshaws.
The petitioner’s lawyer, Salahuddin Gundapur, argued that the Sindh government, through the Commissioner of Karachi, had initially imposed a ban on chingchi rickshaws on 12 routes. Later, the notification was amended, and the ban was extended to 30 routes.
The petitioner contended that the affected parties were not consulted before the ban was enforced. He highlighted that around 60,000 chingchi rickshaws operate across Karachi, with 80% of them running on the banned routes. The ban, he added, is severely impacting the livelihoods of poor citizens who rely on these rickshaws for their income.
During the hearing, the petitioner’s lawyer further argued that following amendments in the relevant laws, the authority to impose such bans should lie with elected municipal representatives, rather than the Commissioner of Karachi.
Following the arguments, the court issued notices to the Sindh government, the Commissioner of Karachi, the Secretary of Transport, and others, and directed them to submit their responses by July 16.