Departments directed to get experts’ help on smog elimination

Court increases fine on stubble burning from Rs150,000 to Rs200,000

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court (LHC) Justice Shahid Karim directed the quarters concerned for getting the experts’ assistance to eliminate the smog.

Justice Karim was hearing different petitions about how smog could be controlled, society could be made pollution-free and groundwater could be protected from further depletion.

As proceedings commenced Friday, the court directed the quarter concerned to get the help from the expertise of Agriculture University Faisalabad and University of Technology.

The court also sought proposals of the machineries which could help farmers in disposing of the remnants of the crops avoiding the incidents of stubble burning.

Earlier proceedings

In earlier proceedings, the court had fixed new fine of Rs200,000 from previously Rs50,000 against those who found involved in stubble burning across the province.

The registration of FIRs is not the only solution of stopping stubble burning, Justice Karim observed.

The environmental commission’s member in earlier proceedings told the court that 153 incidents of stubble burning were reported in last five days.

On a point, Justice Karim remarked that majority cases of stubble burning are being reported in Okara.

DC Okara told the court that criminal cases have been registered against 151 people who were found involved in setting ablaze to the remnants of crops.

The LHC had also directed the Punjab government to impose a smog emergency and call a meeting to take appropriate precautionary measures to control the smog before entering into the worst condition.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 22^nd, 2022.