LHC raps govt over failure to curb smog

Court says enforcement impossible with only 10 field officers in Lahore

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday expressed serious displeasure over the inadequate performance of government departments responsible for tackling smog, warning that effective enforcement is impossible when only ten field officials are deployed across the provincial capital.

Hearing multiple petitions related to smog — including those filed by Haroon Farooq, Azhar Siddique and others — Justice Shahid Karim also took up a newly filed plea concerning the Lahore Waste Management Company and issued notices to the department.

The court adjourned proceedings until next week and sought compliance reports on its previous directives.

A member of the Judicial Commission submitted a report detailing inspections at the Shahdara and Pattoki toll plazas.

He stated that the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) monitoring was "almost non-existent" and highlighted the agency's severe manpower shortage.

The EPA's counsel informed the court that a proposal to expand staff and deploy teams at three additional points had been finalized.

A traffic police report submitted to the court showed a rise in challans issued this year against smoke-emitting and unfit vehicles.

Justice Karim appreciated the increased enforcement.

The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) also informed the court that contractors had been strictly barred from cutting trees.

The commission member added that the LDA director general had already been issued clear instructions on the matter.

The bench also discussed the removal of a tree outside a private bakery in the cantonment area. The Assistant Attorney General said the tree had been removed after the cantonment board deemed it dangerously tilted.

The court accepted the explanation, noting that no objection remains if due process was followed.

Petitioners argued that despite repeated judicial orders, authorities have failed to take meaningful steps to counter the worsening smog crisis, which they said continues to pose a serious threat to public health.