LAHORE: The Punjab government on Monday imposed a province-wide ban on substandard buses and heavy vehicles used by all public and private schools, colleges, universities and hospitals in an anti-smog campaign from Dec 2.

Despite anti anti-smog operations, Lahore recorded an average AQI of 200 on Monday, with levels spiking above 392 in the early hours.

According to IQAir, air quality remained unhealthy as the PM2.5 concentration was higher than the WHO’s annual guideline.

The most polluted areas included Allama Iqbal Town, Barki, Bedian Road, DHA-5, AC Saddar/Cantt, Johar Town, Civil Secretariat and Askari 10. The MET Office forecast dry weather for the next 24 hours. Other cities of Punjab including Sialkot recorded 323 AQI, Multan 258 and Rawalpindi 214.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) directed educational and healthcare institutions to immediately subject their transport fleets to inspection and certification under the Vehicle Inspection and Certification System (VICS) and warned that non-compliant vehicles will be impounded.

EPA Director General Dr Imran Hamid Sheikh issued the orders under Section 15 of the Punjab Environmental Protection Act 1997, which prohibits operation of smoke-emitting or noisy vehicles.

He said the crackdown is aimed at eliminating vehicular pollution caused by faulty and poorly maintained buses that transport thousands of students and staff daily.

The DG said that substandard, smoke-emitting and unfit buses would not be allowed to operate under any circumstances and institutions failing to meet the prescribed standards would face strict legal action. “If a substandard vehicle is caught, there will no longer be just a fine, the vehicle will also be seized,” he warned.

He also made VICS certification immediately mandatory for all heavy transport vehicles (HTVs) used by educational institutions, hospitals and industrial units.

District environment officers were directed to inspect fleets and issue direction slips and impound vehicles that fail to comply within the given deadline.

The DG said the enforcement drive is part of Punjab’s toughest anti-smog measures to date. “Environment-damaging vehicles are now banned from entering roads. There will be zero tolerance for pollution-causing vehicles in Punjab,” he said.

Meanwhile, EPA launched a crackdown and conducted 132000 inspections in the province in 20 months.

According to Dr Sheikh 132,000+ inspections were conducted across the province and 2,498 industrial units demolished and 2,499 sealed for violating environmental laws, 3,912 FIRs registered for what the DG described as “environmental terrorism.”

He said that Rs 288 million in fines was imposed on polluting industries.

The EPA also carried out extensive operations against plastic pollution, construction dust, stubble burning, and bird hazards, seizing 421,967 banned plastic items, sealing 312 sites, and inspecting 676 construction sites.

Dr Sheikh described the ongoing efforts as a “war against pollution,” saying the government would not allow any institution to endanger public health through negligence.

The crackdown on institutional buses, he added, would be enforced strictly from December 2, with district administrations, police, VICS authorities and all relevant departments instructed to ensure full compliance.

Published in Dawn, November 25th, 2025