ISLAMABAD Lahore Traffic Police has stepped up its crackdown on vehicles causing smog, impounded 1,750 vehicles, and imposed a fine of Rs 80 million over the past few weeks, Provincial Caretaker Minister for Transport Ibrahim Hasan Murad said on Friday.
“Around 71,000 vehicles were checked during the said period, out of which 5.6 percent were found to emit smoke,” the provincial minister told a private news channel.
The Punjab Transport Authority Enforcement Wing has also intensified operations against smoke-emitting vehicles, particularly the transport of public and private schools, colleges, and universities, he noted.
Murad said motorbikes were the major contributor to air pollution, with a share of 65 percent in the form of rickshaws and chingchi. As the drivers of such vehicles belong to the labor class, they only get a fine ticket and a stern warning; however, other vehicles are impounded in the police stations for damaging air quality.
In response to a question about smart lockdown to curb smog in
the provincial capital and some other high-risk districts, he maintained that the government took the decision as a last resort after constant monitoring of the situation for the past few weeks.
To another query about imposing restrictions despite rain forecasts in the provincial capital, he clarified that there was only a 40 to 50 percent chance of rain being predicted, and cloud seeding was used to enhance the probability. However, this serious step was taken to combat the situation after the Air Quality Index (AQI) level surged to 400.
Smart lockdown will help improve air quality as it reduces transport on the roads by up to fifty percent, adding that such measures will be fruitful in the future regardless of rain if exercised properly.
Smoke-emitting vehicles will not be allowed to ply on the roads under any circumstances, and they will be impounded after imposing heavy penalties, said Murad, who warned the vehicle owners to fix their motor cars before hitting the roads.