Punjab’s Caretaker Minister for Transport, Ibrahim Hasan Murad, has shared statistics about the government’s crackdown against smoke-emitting vehicles.

According to the official data, the authorities have impounded more than 1700 vehicles and imposed a fine of Rs. 80 million for causing air pollution during the last few weeks.

Talking to a local media outlet, the minister revealed that out of the 71,000 vehicles inspected, 5.6 percent were violating the government’s orders to reduce emissions and were emitting smoke.

Furthermore, Murad added that the Punjab Transport Authority Enforcement Wing is also taking stern action against private schools, colleges, and universities’ vehicles. Motorcycles have been identified as the primary contributors to pollution, according to the minister.

However, unlike other vehicles that are impounded, the motorcyclists only get a fine and warning as they are mostly from the labor class. He added that cloud seeding was being used by the government to increase the probability of rain.

Following the improvement in the Air Quality Index (AQI), Punjab has decided to lift the smart lockdown imposed to deal with the smog. Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) said that the decision was taken after consultation with experts and the Punjab environment department.

Source: Pro Pakistani