PSO asked to keep oil tankers having no fitness certificate off roads

KARACHI: The Sindh transport and mass transit department has asked the Pakistan State Oil (PSO) to ensure that oil tankers having no or fake fitness certificates are not allowed to hit the road in the province.

In a letter written to the PSO chief executive officer, the secretary of the department stated that vehicles owned or hired by oil companies on contract are plying without or with a fake fitness certificate.

He called for issuing directives to these companies to engage only those vehicles for oil transportation that have original fitness certificates to discourage the practice of bringing vehicles having no original fitness certificates on roads.

Under Section 39 of Motor Vehicle Ordinance 1965, the letter said fitness certificate is mandatory.

It cited a Supreme Court order as stating, “All Public Service Carrying vehicles, including buses, vans, trucks, taxies, rickshaws, etc., not worthy of roads and are being driven in the province contrary to the provisions of Motor Vehicle Ordinance, 1965, ply on the roads without obtaining fitness certificates as well as route permits be kept off the road forthwith in the province.”

The department, therefore, requested the PSO to direct the quarters concerned not to fill oil tankers having invalid fitness certificates for strict compliance with the law as well as the apex court order.