LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Friday expressed concern over the massive traffic jam the provincial metropolis has been facing nowadays and directed the traffic police to devise a policy with the Traffic Engineering and Transport Planning Agency (Tepa).

Hearing public interest petitions on multiple issues relating to the environment, Justice Shahid Karim observed that there was a gridlock on Canal Road, one of the main arteries of the city, on Thursday night due to a protest.

The judge observed that 45 per cent of smog was created with the smoke of vehicles. He said the traffic wardens were usually found busy gossiping even during peak hours of traffic flow in the city. He directed the city traffic police to take measures to ensure smooth flow of traffic on the roads.

An official of the traffic police said a new trend of holding protests on Canal Road had been causing traffic jams in the city.

Justice Karim directed the Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) to develop a mobile phone application to keep the citizens updated on smog and air pollution.

The judge also ordered the PDMA to speed up actions against smoke emitting factories and industrial units.

The judge rejected a summary draft submitted by the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) about the powers delegated to inspectors to demolish brick kilns on violations of the policies.

The judge directed the EPA to present an amended summary on the next hearing.

Published in Dawn, December 31st, 2022