LAHORE – The Punjab government has decided to impose a ban on the production of petrol-powered motorcycles and rickshaws.
A special meeting of the cabinet committee on smog control was held under the chairmanship of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, during which it was decided to ban the production of petrol-powered motorcycle rickshaws across the province. A principle decision was also taken to gradually and phase-wise stop the production of petrol-driven motorcycles.
The meeting decided that only electric and hybrid vehicles, as well as electric motorcycles, will be purchased for government departments in Punjab. A complete ban was also imposed on washing vehicles with water at the household level.
It was further decided to install color-coded waste bins across Punjab in line with modern international practices. Strict penalties will be imposed for burning plastic and items that emit toxic smoke, with clear instructions to allow no leniency where public health or the environment is harmed.
The meeting also approved the appointment of workshops under a public-private partnership framework for permanent testing of vehicles emitting smoke above permissible standards.
Senior Punjab Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb briefed the meeting in detail on measures to curb smog and improve air quality. She informed that Punjab’s first state-of-the-art air quality monitoring network has been established, and the AQI forecast system now enables timely identification of smog and air quality levels.
She said that incidents of crop burning in and around Lahore have reduced by 88 percent. Drone monitoring and satellite tracking surveillance have significantly curtailed such cases. A quick response center and force have been established for immediate action.
The briefing also noted that the country’s first eco chatbot has been launched, while a mobile application and public dashboard are now operational. A total of 41 air quality monitoring systems are functioning in 18 districts, and a deadline has been set to install 100 more sensors next year.
Through Punjab’s first emission testing system, the testing of 300,000 vehicles has been completed so far. For continuous environmental monitoring, a smog war room has been established at the Punjab Safe Cities Authority, where 8,500 CCTV cameras are being used to monitor industries, car wash stations, and dust hot spots.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif expressed satisfaction over the environmental improvement measures, praised the entire team, and appreciated the campaign against child labor at brick kilns.
