Punjab Govt To Introduce 'electric Vehicle Policy': Minister

Punjab Minister for Finance Hashim Jawan Bakht Friday said the provincial government would introduce 'electric vehicle policy' of the federal government while a master plan was underway for improvement in the traffic flow, besides ensuring conversion of the public buses on environmental friendly green fuels and making Rs 40 billion investments in environment improvement

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Nov, 2019 ) :Punjab Minister for Finance Hashim Jawan Bakht Friday said the provincial government would introduce 'electric vehicle policy' of the Federal government while a master plan was underway for improvement in the traffic flow, besides ensuring conversion of the public buses on environmental friendly green fuels and making Rs 40 billion investments in environment improvement.

Addressing a press conference at DGPR here, he said that all brick kilns without zigzag technology would be closed by next year while only zigzag technology brick kilns would be allowed to work.

He said the government had been also creating awareness among the industrialists about the critical environmental situation in the province. The negotiations with steel mills were underway to close their chimneys while long and short term programs were being launched for controlling the smog, he added. He vowed to make Lahore clean and green city soon.

The minister said that public transport was the largest contributor in air pollution, followed by industry and agriculture while tree population was insufficient to counter this threat.

He said the government was promoting the tree plantation while in first phase government vehicles monitoring had been started. He said vehicle causing damaging to environment would be stopped and would not be allowed to come on roads without fitness certificates.

He said that the scope would be gradually expanded to the private vehicles. Further, the flow of vehicles would be reduced in the schools areas of the city to control the smog, besides launch of school buses instead of one kid one car culture.

The minister said the industry would be motivated to use environmental friendly fuels while factories and brick kiln without zigzag technology in red zones could also be closed.

He said the issue of crops residuals burning in India was being taken up in international forums while it was being controlled in Punjab as well.

Earlier, the minister presided over a meeting of Smog Committee at the Civil Secretariat Committee Room. A number of decisions were taken to overcome the rising issue of smog.

It was decided that a fund would be set up to shift the brick kiln to the Zigzag technology, traffic management frame work would be prepared, removal of duty and taxes on masks and air cleaners used in steel mills would be approved, the police warden working in the smog hit areas will be provided with masks, air cleaners and masks will be declared mandatory for school children and on the local level the industry engaged in making the product would be subsidized.

On the occasion, Punjab Minister for Information and Commerce Mian Aslam Iqbal and others were present.