LAHORE: The Punjab police have registered 51 new cases against environmental violators as part of their ongoing campaign to control smog and reduce air pollution across the province, a spokesperson said on Saturday.

The crackdown, which spanned Lahore and other districts over the last 24 hours, led to the arrest of the violators and resulted in fines totaling over Rs1.067 million imposed on 491 people. An additional 38 individuals were issued warnings for environmental violations.

According to the breakdown provided by the spokesperson, the operations targe­ted key sources of pollution. A total of 209 smoke-emitting vehicles were cited, alon­gside 101 incidents of crop residue burning and 7 violations related to brick kilns.

This recent enforcement action is part of a larger, year-long initiative.

The spokesperson revealed that since the beginning of the current year, the police have registered a significant 2,275 cases and arrested 2,027 violators. The financial penalties have been substantial, with fines exceeding Rs227.1m imposed on 87,780 individuals, while 11,268 others have received warnings.

The annual data highlights the scale of the problem, with 52,872 violations for smoke-emitting vehicles, 3,365 for brick kilns, 1,725 related to industrial activities, and 1,166 cases of crop residue burning.

IG police Dr Usman Anwar has directed officers to further accelerate the anti-smog crackdown.

In his directives, the IG emphasised a zero-tolerance policy, ordering strict and immediate action against all those found violating the standard operating procedures (SOPs) designed to combat smog. The operations are to be intensified on highways, in industrial areas, on agricultural lands, and at other key locations contributing to poor air quality.

Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2025