Lahore court orders prioritization of eco-friendly projects amid smog crisis

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday ordered provincial authorities to prioritize eco-friendly development projects and strictly enforce anti-pollution laws, warning that it would not tolerate non-compliance.

Hearing a cluster of public interest petitions regarding environmental degradation in Punjab, LHC Judge Justice Shahid Karim directed that all future infrastructure projects must be designed around existing green cover, emphasizing that the cutting down of trees must be avoided through meticulous alternative planning.

The court’s directions came after a judicial commission member presented a report revealing the recent felling of 14 trees on court premises in district Kasur.

Expressing deep displeasure over the incident, Justice Karim summoned specialized reports from both the Environment Protection Department (EPD) and regional revenue officials.

“Developmental works must proceed without resorting to deforestation, and environmental preservation must be ensured at all costs,” Justice Karim remarked.

He instructed urban planning authorities to formulate alternative engineering strategies that complete public works while keeping existing trees intact.

The bench also turned its focus toward industrial compliance, issuing immediate orders to seal any sugar mills failing to implement court-mandated environmental safeguards.

Affirming that water and air pollution regulations are absolute, the court directed the provincial government to ensure full compliance across the sugar sector before adjourning the next hearing to June 8.

Punjab govt launches crackdown

Meanwhile, Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb announced that the Punjab government has adopted a policy of “zero tolerance” against commercial entities flouting environmental protocols.

“Grand operations have been ordered at the union council level against illegal units causing smog in Lahore,” Aurangzeb said in an official statement.

“Those playing with the health of citizens will be dealt with iron hands.”

The provincial minister noted that activities exacerbating toxic emissions are under a blanket ban.

She authorized enforcement teams to immediately demolish non-compliant illegal units and register criminal cases against their operators.

According to data released by the minister’s office, provincial authorities are actively targeting hazardous, unregulated commercial operations in Lahore’s peripheral zones, specifically focus areas like Bakar Mandi, where illegal fat-melting and animal waste-burning units operate.

Following sustained complaints from local residents over toxic fumes, several units were sealed this week, and their heavy machinery was confiscated by the state, the statement said.

It said that 64 air-polluting industrial units have been penalized, sealed, or dismantled over the last 15 days alone.

Similarly, 374 illegal commercial units have been permanently closed down over the past two years under prolonged anti-smog campaigns.

Lahore, a metropolis of over 13 million people, consistently ranks among the world’s most polluted cities.

In winter, agricultural residue burning, low-grade industrial fuel and stagnant weather conditions routinely trigger severe public health crises in the province.