KARACHI: The Sindh government has made significant amendments to the Sindh Motor Vehicle Rules, 1969 to ensure traffic regulations and public safety, and a notification has been issued in this regard.
Under the new rules, owners of heavy commercial vehicles are required to meet updated conditions. These include obtaining fitness certificates, adhering to a fixed age limit for vehicles, and installing modern security systems.
Senior Sindh Minister and Provincial Minister for Information, Transport, and Mass Transit, Sharjeel Inam Memon, stated that all heavy commercial vehicles must now obtain fitness certificates from centers established by the Transport department. In case of violations, heavy fines will be imposed on vehicle owners.
All fines must be paid online into the Sindh government account.
He said the new amendments also set age limits for vehicles. Permits will not be issued for vehicles older than 20 years on inter-provincial routes. Vehicles older than 25 years will not be allowed on inter-city routes, and the age limit for vehicles operating within cities has been fixed at 35 years.
Sharjeel Inam Memon said that the law would be implemented within one year time period. All the vehicles would have to undergo a roadworthiness test during this time. In the first phase, only petty fines would be charged for the violations. A fine of up to Rs 200,000 will apply for a second violation and up to Rs 300,000 for a third.
He added that Sindh government has also ensured that all heavy and light commercial vehicles must be equipped with tracking and security systems.
The government required each vehicle to be fitted with a GPS tracking device, high-definition cameras at the front and rear, a driver monitoring camera, and a 360-degree camera system.
As per Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, under-run protection guards will also be compulsory to avoid smaller vehicles and motorbikes getting run over if an accident occurs.
All these devices must be fully functional, and without their verification, a vehicle will not be registered, a fitness certificate will not be issued, and neither a permit nor transfer of ownership will be allowed.
He said that if the required systems are not installed or are deliberately damaged, heavy fines will be imposed and the vehicle will be temporarily impounded. If the issue is not rectified within 14 days, the registration will be permanently canceled.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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