n October 2020, when the Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) commenced its operations in Lahore, Muhsen Ali, a journalist hailing from Kashmir, walked two kilometres from his house near Ganga Ram Hospital to board the train at its Anarkali station. He was so excited at Lahore getting this mass transit train system that he wanted to capture his experience on camera.

To his surprise, every other passenger was doing the same — earnestly videoing their train ride. The “collective joy,” as Ali calls it, was what made it even more memorable.

Sadly, this may not be achievable now, as the Punjab Mass-transit Authority (PMA) has imposed certain rules and regulations on those desirous of filming or photographing the OLMT stations in the city. According to them, all media entities and agencies as well as private people will need permission and have to pay a certain fee before they can document/ cover the train journey. The fee amount will vary depending on the station’s categorisation as A, B, or C; which takes into account factors such as prominence, historical significance and ridership.

There are eight Category A stations that have been identified as the busiest. Media outlets looking to shoot at these stations will be required to pay a fee of Rs 246,000 per station.

For each of 10 Category B stations, the fee is Rs 185,000; and for eight Category C stations, Rs 124,000 per station.

Lay citizens and vloggers aren’t happy with PMA’s new policy. Moeen Zubair, a YouTuber, says that this “could adversely affect the popularity of Orange Line itself.

“The metro train is a marvel of modern technology, and content creators contribute to promoting it,” he says.

While Zubair acknowledges the fact that popular vlog/ blog posts are monetised, he is quick to add that no one can be sure if a blog post will garner a good number of views.

Ilyas Jutt, a PhD scholar at Government College University, Faisalabad, who has a side hustle at a tourism company, talks of what he calls the “changing preferences of domestic tourists.” He explains, “A growing number of people are now interested in organised tours. They don’t plan things individually.”

Having worked with a number of social media influencers, Zubair says that capturing the city used to be quite a thing. The new policy will negatively impact Pakistan’s tourism industry, especially if similar trends are adopted in other regions.

For Lahore’s metro stations, a fee of Rs 100,000 along with applicable taxes shall be levied for a single shooting session. In Multan, the rate is Rs 50,000 for similar activity; and in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, the fee amount is Rs 200,000 (excluding tax).

he decision to introduce fees is believed to have come from the need to generate funds and attain financial independence in the face of heavy subsidies supporting the OLMT and the metro bus service. Besides, in recent years, a lot of commercial shoots have taken place on the OLMT and metro bus assets. TikTokers, YouTubers and Instagrammers are a common sight at these places, and their presence is growing.

In order to address the financial aspect, OLMT’s business development division has devised 13 packages, encompassing advertising, leasing, branding and interviews; all aimed at revenue generation. Under the new policy, any activity involving video recording, be it interviews or performances, will now incur charges.

The strategy extends to media houses and enterprises utilising PMA sites across Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi.

A PMA official tells TNS on condition of anonymity that several media houses have sought leniency from the Authority in response to the new policy, but this would not change things. As per the official, three private TV channels have already paid for coverage of their packages, attesting to firm enforcement.

Recently, a team including the outgoing prime minister, Shahbaz Sharif participated in a package recording at the OLMT installations. For this, they were duly billed and charged. The idea was to set the precedent.

About the fee structure pertaining to the use of metro bus installations, the PMA official says that the charges will vary based on the location being used. For Lahore’s metro bus stations, a fee of Rs 100,000 along with applicable taxes shall be levied for a single shooting session. In Multan, the rate is Rs 50,000 for similar activity; and in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, the fee is Rs 200,000 (excluding tax).

The persons or groups intending to utilise either the OLMT or metro bus stations for their shoots are required to submit an application seeking permission, at least three days in advance. The application must comprehensively outline the nature of the activity, its intended location and the list of crew members involved.

“In the event where permission is not granted or the fee remains unpaid, our security personnel will intervene as soon as the cameras are out,” the official adds.

The writer is a media veteran interested in politics, consumer rights and entrepreneurship