LAHORE: In view of persistent deterioration in Air Quality Index (AQI) of Lahore city, Punjab Relief Commissioner Babar Hayat Tarar has banned the entry of public service vehicles in the city without valid fitness certificates issued by the Vehicle Inspection and Certificate System (VICS).

The relief commissioner states that the Lahore’s AQI was fluctuating from “satisfactory” to “poor” levels, which is likely to cause breathing discomfort, respiratory tract and heart diseases amongst people in all age brackets.

The cabinet has already declared smog as a calamity. He says manual vehicle inspections shall be suspended for three months till March 22. All public service vehicles will now be required to obtain fitness certificate from the respective VICS stations.

Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2021