SMBR Takes Various Decisions To Control Smog

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Nov, 2021 ) :Punjab government on Friday instructed all private sector to reduce their staff strength to half and ensure that 50 percent of their employees work from home to reduce the impact of vehicles emission in order to mitigate smog impact.

According to the orders issued by the Senior Member board of Revenue (SMBR) Babar Hayat Tarar, all the administrative secretaries of the Punjab government also instructed 50 percent reduction of official vehicles of their departments, plying on roads during the period 25th November 2021 to 15th January 2022.

The off-road vehicles shall be parked in the secretariat of each department and shall be checked on daily basis by the administrative secretary concerned. The plans shall be prepared and put into implementation w.e.f 25th November 2021.

The commissioners of Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala and Multan divisions shall ensure similar arrangements for reduction of official vehicles in their respective Divisional Headquarters.

All industrial units shall install scrubbers for emission control and cameras for monitoring by 4th December 2021. Necessary configuration for live monitoring of industrial emissions shall be made by Industries Department, Environment Protection Department and PDMA.

The government also instructed the school education department and higher education department to ensure that public and private educational institutions decrease the use of buses/vans by 50 percent for pick and drop of students.

In compliance with order of the Lahore High Court, following fines are imposed on different violations, Rs 50,000 on burning of crop residue and municipal waste, minimum Rs 50,000 to Rs 100,000 on brick kilns not on zig-zag methodology or emitting black smoke, Rs 2,000 on polluting and smoke emitting public and private transport, Rs 50,000 to 100,000 on industrial units functioning without emission control equipment/devices.

Earlier, the government had already imposed ban on the following act last year to control the smog, burning of any type of crop residue, vehicles emitting visible smoke and pollutants falling into inadmissible limits, all industries working without emission control system contributing deterioration in Air Quality Index, all stone crushers operating without wet scrubbers, burning of all types of solid waste, tyres, rubber and plastics, sale and use of all types of substandard fuels, all types of encroachments which cause hindrance in the smooth flow of traffic on public roads including footpaths, any kind of parking which may cause hindrance in the smooth flow of traffic, all types of activities without proper safeguard which contribute in generating fugitive dust, uncovered and open dumping/storage of construction material, uncovered transportation of construction material like sand, mud and cement and any unauthorized activity which may cause pollution.