Smoky vehicles given 7-day ultimatum

LAHORE:Secretary Transport and Mass Transit Ahmad Javed Qazi on Sunday said a decision had been made for a final action against smoky vehicles.

He said a seven-day ultimatum had been issued to the owners of such vehicles to get repaired their vehicles. Officials of Environmental Protection Department (EPD), the district administration and police Sunday impounded 24 smoky vehicles for breaching environmental regulations.

According to the EPD sources, raids were conducted at bus terminals along Bund Road and

fines were also imposed on the owners of smoky vehicles.Environmental Protection Secretary Raja Jahangir Anwar sated that anti-smog measures would continue against the violators of the environment regulations.

Meanwhile, Punjab Police registered 104 cases and arrested 25 individuals during a smog crackdown in various districts, including Lahore, over the past 24 hours. Fines exceeding Rs792,000 were imposed on 424 individuals, while 36 individuals were issued warnings.

Violations reported included 29 cases of burning crop residues, 325 cases of excessive smoke-emitting vehicles, two cases of industrial activity violations, 18 cases involving brick-kilns, and 13 violations at other locations.

Punjab Police spokesperson said that a total of 2,095 individuals have been arrested and 2,483 cases registered this year’s anti-smog crackdown. Overall, fines of more than Rs49.9 million were imposed on 21,466 individuals and 1,346 individuals were issued warnings.

Punjab Police spokesperson added that violations included 1,481 cases of burning crop residues, 18,476 cases of excessive smoke-emitting vehicles, 312 cases of industrial activity violations, 890 cases involving brick-kilns, and 346 violations at other locations.