Lahore, a city plagued by heavy smog every fall, has launched a new emissions testing program for four-wheel vehicles under a pilot initiative. But experts argue the policy fails to address key sources of pollution—motorcycles and rickshaws.
Under the scheme, vehicles passing the test receive a green QR-coded sticker on their windshield. Testing is free until June 30 and is being conducted at nine centers across Lahore by the Environment Protection Agency (EPA).
The program is part of the Vehicle Inspection and Certification System (VICS), which previously operated under the Punjab Transport Department but became overwhelmed due to rising vehicle numbers.
Punjab has 25 million registered vehicles—20 million of them motorcycles—yet the current testing excludes two- and three-wheelers. Lahore alone has 5.2 million motorcycles.
PakWheels Chairman Suneel Sarfraz Munj criticized the exclusion, pointing out that 60% of road traffic consists of high-emission two- and three-wheelers. “Clean vehicles won’t matter if we continue using poor-quality fuel,” he added.
While some environmentalists welcomed the move, others like lawyer Rafi Alam stressed the need to test all vehicle types, including older models with outdated engines. Experts also called for a shift to Euro V fuel and engine standards to reduce emissions more effectively.