Lahore High Court Issues New Orders on Traffic and Park Use

The Lahore High Court has directed authorities to start inspecting heavy vehicles across Punjab immediately to help control smog, emphasizing that unchecked emissions from such traffic are a major contributor to poor air quality.

During the hearing on petitions regarding smog prevention, a member of the Judicial Commission informed the court that a large number of heavy vehicles operate after 11 p.m. without any effective monitoring system. The member added that significant work is being done on plantation drives to improve the environment.

The court observed that air quality cannot improve unless vehicles are regularly inspected and instructed officials to begin checking heavy traffic from today across the province.

Turning to the growing trend of paddle courts in parks, the bench remarked that the practice had become a “new fashion” but could not be allowed within public parks. “Parks are meant for public recreation and greenery, not for commercial or private facilities,” the judge stated.

The counsel for the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) argued that every park includes some sports facilities and that Sections 10 and 16 of the PHA Act permit such activities. When asked about the land required for a paddle court, the lawyer replied that each needs around two kanals of space.

The judge questioned whether such construction disturbs the park’s natural environment. “In an eight-kanal park, two kanals cannot be occupied for a paddle court,” the court remarked.