LAHORE: The provincial capital may experience ‘traffic mayhem’ as the authorities expect around 100,000 vehicles arriving in Lahore for Basant celebrations starting from Friday (today).

Since the Walled City will be the centre of Basant celebrations, officials anticipate parking issues in the area. Basant lovers may face serious problems in reaching their destinations due to the expected bumper-to-bumper traffic congestion. The officials said thousands of rooftops of old buildings in the Walled City have been booked by the Basant lovers.

Particularly, people arriving from out of Lahore would prefer to celebrate Basant on the historic buildings within the 13 historic gates of the old city which housed narrow roads and streets, leaving no choice for the citizens to park their vehicles unattended and walk to their destinations.

The localities where people are going to organise family reunions and other gatherings included Gawalmandi, surroundings of Minar-i-Pakistan, Lahore Fort, Shah Alam Market, Shadbagh, and historic neighborhoods of Mochi Gate, Rang Mehal, Bhatti Gate etc.

Most vehicles would arrive from the Shahdra to reach the buildings booked in the Walled City.

Similarly, The Mall, Jail Road, and Lahore Canal may also face unexpected burden of the vehicles on the three days of the Basant.

Keeping in view the significance of the Walled City hosting large-scale cultural activities related to the Basant, Inspector General of Police Punjab Rao Abdul Kareem reached there along with the senior police officers on Thursday to review the arrangements.

During his visit to Mochi Gate, DIG Operations Muhammad Faisal Kamran briefed the IG on the security and other arrangements, deployment of personnel, and monitoring measures put in place for the Basant festival.

Rao Kareem instructed the Lahore Police to ensure full compliance with government regulations and SOPs to maintain a safe environment.

On the occasion, the IG Punjab said over 10,000 police officers and personnel have been deployed for Basant security duties.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2026