Punjab Fines and Impounds Heavy Smoke-Emitting Vehicles

Winter has arrived in Pakistan, bringing with it concerns about smog and air pollution. The Government of Punjab has taken it in its stride and is imposing heavy fines on smoke-emitting vehicles to curb the formation and diffusion of smog.

The Punjab Transport Company’s (PTC) Enforcement Wing has also reportedly resorted to chasing down public transport vehicles that emit heavy fumes. Its spokesperson said that the authorities have caught 9,747 public transport vehicles violating the environment protection rules, of which 2,005 were seized and taken to nearby police stations, and 1,938 vehicles were let go after warnings.

The concerned authorities have imposed fines of Rs 2.19 million on the violators, and the department is actively sensitizing the masses about environmental protection while enforcing anti-smog measures. In addition to these measures, the authorities are also ensuring strict abidance with the COVID-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs).

Punjab is impacted the most by smog every year, and the recent data released by the provincial government claims that the recorded evidence of the continuous depletion of air quality in the province is according to the Air Quality Index (AQI).

This is why the authorities have imposed a strict ban on the following activities:

• Burning of crop residue
• Heavy smoke-emitting vehicles
• Industrial operations that flout emissions control
• Stone crushers operating without wet scrubbers
• Burning of solid waste, rubber, and/or plastic
• Sub-standard fuel sales and use
• Any encroachment that disturbs the flow of traffic on public roads
• Any parking that disturbs the flow of traffic on public roads
• Any activity that contributes to heavy dust
• Uncovered dumping/storage of construction material
• Uncovered transportation of construction material
• Operations of brick kilns that are not built on or converted to modern/zigzag technology
• Unauthorized activities that contribute to smog

Besides this, the government has also made it mandatory for petroleum vendors to only distribute and sell EURO-5 fuel to contain the pollution in the country to ensure healthy environments for the public.