PESHAWAR:Speakers at a workshop on Thursday urged all stakeholders including drivers, transporters and masses to play their role to reduce and control air pollution.
Speaking during a day-long workshop on air pollution in Peshawar city jointly organized by Directorate of Transport and Mass Transit Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Department of Environmental Science University of Peshawar, the speakers stressed that as responsible citizens everyone should show seriousness in tackling this global issue.
Secretary Transport Amir Lateef who was chief guest on the occasion said that the transport department was going to develop various policies aimed at controlling and reducing vehicular air pollution.
He said that revolutionary steps were being taken in the Directorate of Transport and Mass Transit and for the first time in history the National Environmental Standards (NEQS) have been changed to international standards to check the pollution being emitted by vehicles.
He said that stations for testing vehicles have been established in nine districts of the province including Peshawar, Mardan, Swat, Malakand, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Kohat, Bannu and DI Khan and 14 mobile laboratories were functioning in this regard.
These machines measure the emissions of vehicles and if the emissions are below the prescribed national environmental standards, the vehicles are given a pass certificate which is valid for six months.
If the smoke level of the vehicle exceeds the prescribed national environmental standards, it is fined and the documents are confiscated, while the expert technicians of the Vehicles Emission Testing Stations (VETS) team of the Transport Department inform the vehicle owners of the defects of the vehicles and their rectification.
The secretary announced a three-month paid internship for the students of the Environmental Sciences Department of University of Peshawar, adding that Rs 25,000 would be paid per month to the internees.
Professor Dr Muhammad Nafees, chairman Environmental Science Department, Dr Shekhla Nazneen, Dr Hizbullah, Dr Tariq Usman, deputy director PIR, Zubair, Manager VETS, Lecturer Dr Shehla Nazneen, Dr Khazabullah and other also delivered lectures regarding air pollution.