Massive crackdown launched against polluting vehicles, motorcycles in Lahore

Following the direction of the Lahore High Court, the Lahore Traffic Police has launched a crackdown against vehicles emitting excessive smoke, reported 24NewsHD TV Channel on Monday.

The Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) of Lahore, Amara Athar constituted 41 emergency anti-smog squads and set up 12 checkpoints around the city.

These specialized squads are tasked solely with targeting vehicles visibly polluting the environment.

According to sources, each anti-smog squad will operate with a large truck, which will impound motorcycles emitting excessive smoke and transport them to nearby police stations.

Offending motorcyclists will be required to provide affidavits and necessary documents, and their vehicles will remain impounded until repaired to meet emission standards, according to CTO Amara Athar.

The CTO announced that the anti-smog teams will operate across all three shifts throughout the day, with each team focused on monitoring and penalizing violators.

 The officials said the Lahore Traffic Police has been imposing daily fines exceeding Rs 2.5 million on vehicles found emitting harmful smoke.

In addition, hundreds of heavy vehicles, including tractor-trolleys, are being impounded each day.

 Emphasizing the importance of collective efforts to maintain a healthy environment, Amara Athar reiterated that tackling air pollution requires cooperation from all citizens.

The move is part of a larger effort to mitigate severe smog conditions in Pakistan’s second-largest city, where pollution levels have increasingly alarmed health experts and residents alike.

The relentless smog that has smothered several Punjab cities appeared to be spreading its toxic grip across other parts of the country on Saturday while wreaking havoc on transportation and triggering lockdown-like restrictions.

As Lahore remains the most polluted city on the global charts, the dense haze shows no sign of letting up, grounding train schedules, causing motorways to shut down, and impacting daily life.

Following Lahore, other cities rank high on the pollution scale. Multan leads with an alarming 2135 AQI, while Peshawar, Islamabad, and other cities also report high pollution levels.