LAHORE:Commissioner Lahore Muhammad Ali Randhawa has directed the traffic police and Regional Transport Authority (RTA) to prepare a joint action plan against smoke-emitting vehicles.
While chairing a meeting on anti-smog and anti-dengue measures here on Saturday, he said that industrial units working without installation of an emission-control system, and kilns working without the zigzag technology should be closed down. He said that vehicles without fitness certificates should not enter the Lahore city.
Those attending the meeting were: DC Lahore Rafia Haider, Additional Commissioner Coordination Abdul Salam Arif, ADG LDA Imran Ali, CO MCL Syed Ali Abbas Bukhari, Chief Engineer TEPA Iqar Hussain, Director Admin MCL Kaleem Yusuf and other officers from LDA, PHA, Traffic Police, Environment, LWMC, Police, Health, Civil Defence, Secretary RTA, Excise Department, Administrator Lorry Adda, Rescue-1122, and other departments.
The commissioner was told in the briefing that anti-smog crackdown was under way and 21 cases had been registered against furnaces and 72 of the units sealed. He said the number of positive dengue patients in Lahore was 1,078, adding that the MCL and LDA would issue notices for rooftop gardening while the PHA would provide technical support.
The commissioner was informed that the PHA planted 3.5 million saplings in the ongoing plantation drive.
He said under the anti-smog policy, expansion orders had been issued for 135 squares of the city. Pyrolysis plants had completely been banned, the commissioner announced. He said Section 144 was in force to ban burning of crop residue in all districts including Lahore and legal action would be taken on burning garbage. He said action would also be taken against the government officials for burning green waste. He said that according to the action plan, all graveyards of Lahore would be cleared under anti-dengue campaign. When two to three dengue patients would be found in any area, deep surveillance and smart cleaning of the entire area would be carried out immediately.
Meanwhile, the commissioner chaired another meeting on weekly performance of the MCL and the LDA. In the meeting, all wings of LDA and MCL gave a briefing about their performance. The commissioner gave the task to the Deputy COs of MCL to compile all reports of their respective towns. He said that the LDA was approving the residential maps in three days and the MCL should also follow suit.
The Lahore commissioner was told in the briefing that the LDA had issued notices to 65 buildings and 62 restaurants for working without the parking space. There should be a wall around the buildings under construction, the commissioner said and instructed the MCL that crackdown on encroachments outside schools and hospitals should continue till complete clearance.
The commissioner directed that the MCL should develop a mobile app on the pattern of LDA to identify illegal buildings. In the meeting, a briefing was also given on ongoing operations against illegal constructions and commercialisation in the city. The commissioner said that indiscriminate action should be continued to prevent illegal constructions across the city. The commercial property management and owners should be made to enforce the parking rules, the commissioner said and directed the officers concerned not to spare anyone who violates the parking rules. The enforcement teams should improve the monitoring mechanism to make the constructions conform to the approved maps, he added.