Sindh govt relieves transporters of route-permit penalties

KARACHI: In a bid to relieve private transporters, who suffered losses amid lockdown following the pandemic COVID-19 breakout, the transport department of Sindh has quashed the penalty on route permit fee, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

The decision came as a respite to transporters and their families whose businesses conceded huge losses due to lockdown and restrictions on transportation.

The penalties incurred in the quarterly period from months April to June will be pardoned and those who have already paid the penalties can reach out to the finance department for their claims.

Other than the route permit penalties, the department has revoked any penalties on Motor Vehicle Fitness Certificate fee as well for the same quarter of April to June 2020.

Transport minister Owais Qadir earlier raised the issue in the cabinet following which the provincial cabinet approved the proposal.

Read: Sindh allows resumption of inter-provincial transport service

The Sindh government recently approved the resumption of inter-provincial transport service under-designed standard operating procedures (SOPs) to limit the spread of the global pandemic.

This was announced by the province’s Transport Minister Syed Awais Shah on Tuesday. The transporters will comply with the SOPs set by the Sindh government and added that passengers would be bound to wear face masks.

Read: Transporters continue protest against ban on inter-city bus services in Karachi

Earlier Shah had said that provincial government would not lift the ban on public transport in Sindh until the countrywide lockdown ended.

Talking to media in Karachi, the Sindh minister had said that govt was implementing on the smart lockdown strategy and had allowed some industries to resume their operations.