PESHAWAR: Dealers and owners of filling stations have rejected ban on sale of petrol to motorcyclists not wearing helmets and demanded of the government to withdraw the order and stop imposition of heavy fines on them.

According to a statement issued here on Wednesday, the demand was made during a meeting of the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Standing Committee on Petroleum, which was chaired by the chamber president Maqsood Anwar Pervaiz.

The traders said the government should announce complete ban on riding motorcycles without helmet instead of banning sale of petrol to the riders. They said the decision had been causing financial losses to the business community.

The meeting also resented the imposition of heavy fines, sealing of petrol stations and arrest of staff members for violation of the district administration’s orders regarding ban on sale of petrol to motorcyclists without helmet in the provincial metropolis.

The meeting was attended by the committee chairman Mansoor Sharif, senior vice-chairman Mohammad Ibrahim and vice-chairmen Hafeezullah Marwat and Abdul Jalil Jan Afridi besides others.

The participants said it was the responsibility of traffic police and excise and other relevant departments to implement the road safety rules, but the duty had been shifted from the government officials to the business community, which was unacceptable.

The meeting also condemned the increasing robbery incidents at petrol stations and demanded steps for provision of security. It asked the provincial government to take notice of misbehaviour of the district administration officials with the station managers and staff.

The businessmen said that checking/testing quality of petrol should be done only by the provincial labour department instead of multiple authorities. The speakers also expressed concern over checking of cleanliness by district administration at petrol pumps.

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2020