Islamabad, Jul 22 (IANS): Pakistan's northwest tribal region Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has banned the entry of around 3,000 auto rickshaws made in 1985 or earlier into the provincial capital Peshawar to ease traffic and check pollution.

Regional Transport Authority secretary Naseem Ahmed Bacha told Dawn News that old auto-rickshaws would be painted maroon in order to easily identify them on city roads.

He asked the owners to dispose of the old auto rickshaws as early as possible.

However, the auto rickshaw drivers union has asked for permission to ply their vehicles on periphery roads. Union leaders said if the old vehicles were banned, thousands of drivers would be rendered jobless.

The Peshawar traffic police had earlier started working on a plan to paint auto-rickshaws in white and yellow for different shifts in a bid to control traffic on city roads.

Under the plan, yellow vehicles could not be brought on the roads during the time allocated for white ones. However, the plan could not be fully implemented.