GUJRANWALA: The district administration sealed on Tuesday five factories for releasing smoke and polluting the air and got two persons arrested.

Deputy Commissioner Suhail Ashraf told reporters the district administration had started an anti-smog campaign and in this regard an action was being taken against the factories emitting smoke in the air.

A team under the supervision of City Assistant Commissioner Usman Sikandar Hanjra inspected Makki Raod, Khayali and other areas and sealed Saif Steel Works,, Iftikhar Silver Steel Works, Amanat Metal Works and Waqas Metal Works for polluting the environment.

The DC said the locals were suffering from respiration, throat, eyes, lungs and other diseases due to smog which originated from the poisonous smoke of factories and kilns. He said it was the duty of all of us to save the environment. Factory and kiln owners should cooperate with the district administration and use filters to lessen carbon.

The DC also directed the assistant commissioner, environment department, Metropolitan Corporation and municipal committee officers to take a strict action against the factories those were causing smog.

Also, Gujranwala Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) office-bearers expressed their concerns over the failure of the Environment Protection Department to stem the tide of pollution and demanded that the prime minister and the chief minister take action against the environment department.

GCCI President Mian Umar Saleem, senior vice president Irfan Suhail and vice president Muhammad Asghar Butt said in a statement that the ratio of pollution in Gujranwala had increased by 587 points which was very dangerous.

FIA: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested on Tuesday 11 human agents in different areas of the region.

FIA Deputy Director Roy Nasrullah told Dawn the agency started a campaign against human trafficking and formed different teams to arrest human agents.

Teams under the supervision of Assistant Director Ahmar Sandhu and Station House Officer Hassan Farooq arrested Anwar, Tufail, Jamshed, Shakeel, Zafar, Manzoor, Kashif, Yasir, Javed, Umar and Shaukat for sending people to Iran, Turkey, Greece and other countries.

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2019