Lahore witnessed unprecedented movement during the Basant festival as nearly 900,000 vehicles entered the city over three days, while public transport systems carried around 1.4 million passengers within just two days.
The figures emerged during a special video-link meeting chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, where Senior Minister Maryam Aurangzeb presented a comprehensive two-day review of Basant arrangements.
Senior officials from the Home Department, Lahore administration, health department, Parks and Horticulture Authority, police, and security agencies briefed the meeting on traffic flow, public safety, and transport operations.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz expressed satisfaction with the overall management and security measures put in place for the festival. She also praised the cooperation shown by Lahore residents and urged citizens to continue observing all safety guidelines and standard operating procedures on the final day of celebrations.
Officials informed the meeting that public transport played a key role in managing crowd movement. Over 600,000 passengers traveled free of charge on the Orange Line Metro Train alone during the first two days, with approximately 299,000 commuters on Friday and 305,000 on Saturday, reflecting heavy reliance on mass transit during the festival period.