Lahore: The Punjab government has revoked the ban on old-fashioned brick kilns in the central and northeastern parts of the province — a decision that had originally been implemented in order to control air pollution and the smog situation in the region, according to news sources. As per the publication, the key reason for the government’s choice to reverse its earlier decision was its wish to not “increase the problems of the people, or render them jobless”.
The official notification issued by the state authorities declared that, regardless of the recent concessions, brick kilns are not allowed to use substandard fuel, and all such units are required to make the switch to zigzag technology by the end of this year or till December 31. No brick kiln will be allowed to operate without implementing the new technology by the deadline provided.
In addition, the government has decided that the earlier identified 84 new brick kilns constructed in the province will be demolished, if they fail to update their technology within the time period provided by the state.
The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) had earlier announced that brick kilns that fail to upgrade their technologies in time would be closed from November 1. This deadline was later extended to November 5. However, the government came to an agreement with the brick kilns association to ensure that a mutually beneficial solution could be reached; one that helps fight the worsening smog conditions in the province, and also allows kilns to remain operational.
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