LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Friday observed that the security arrangements made for Pakistan Super League (PSL) tournament caused traffic jams in the provincial metropolis and sabotaged anti-smog measures.

Hearing petitions related to smog, Justice Shahid Karim directed a government’s lawyer to furnish details of the expenditures on security arrangements for the national cricket tournament in the city.

The judge regretted that actions for controlling smog had been ineffective due to PSL matches.

He noted that the traffic system becomes chaotic in Lahore due to the tournament, leading to traffic jams during matches.

Advocate Azhar Siddique told the court that PSL had started again, and like the previous years, everything was deteriorating.

The judge suggested the lawyer to file a petition on the matter.

CAFES: A lawyer representing a café in Johar Town requested the court for an extension of one hour for the closing time, but Justice Karim turned down the request.

TREES: A lawyer for the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) stated that they had a contract for planting three new trees in exchange for cutting one, and so far, 300 trees had been planted under this agreement. Justice Karim directed the authorities to impose heavy fines for illegal parking in the city and raise awareness on social media about planting trees at homes.

LWMC: Advocate Malik Awais Khalid, legal adviser of the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC), submitted a compliance report to the court about removal of all types of waste from huge plots in Johar Town near a commercial plaza. The lawyer told the court that he personally visited the site and oversaw the operation work.

He said the LWMC had been sensitised for imposing fines and taking stringent action against offenders on account of municipal offences.

Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2024