Punjab intensifies anti-smog campaign; housing societies in focus this time

LAHORE: Punjab has intensified efforts to combat smog, with a renewed drive to plant agricultural forests on barren lands.

The provincial government has initiated the plantation of trees across millions of acres of barren land, starting with the public and private housing societies and highways. The protective greenbelt around Lahore is also being expanded.

Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb has urged the public to participate in this tree-plantation drive, stating that environmental protection is a common cause and a shared responsibility.

Meanwhile, the crackdown against smoke-emitting vehicles is already in-progress with over Rs4.5 million fines imposed on violating vehicles across the province.

The Environment Protection Department has conducted inspections of industrial units and brick kilns, and sealed 14 units for violating SOPs. Separately, eight cases have been filed against industrial units for legal violations, according to news reports. In Lahore, strict surveillance of sand-laden trucks is also undergoing to prevent further pollution.

Aurangzeb has said that the provincial government is aiming to make Lahore one of the world’s cleanest and most environmentally sustainable cities.

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