Lahore: The Punjab Home Department has banned the burning of crop residue, plastic, leather, and solid municipal waste to prevent the issue of smog in the province, a news source reported. The ban would last for a period of three months, under the Section 144(6) Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), 1898.
Sources revealed that the provincial government had provided its reason to proceed in this manner. The officials from the Punjab government opined that immediate prevention and speedy remedy for the smog issue was their desired result. They added that the directions provided were necessary to prevent danger for the public.
Meanwhile, the Home Department decided to impose the ban on the request of the Environment Protection Department (EPD). In addition to the burning of crop residue and waste, the authority has also banned old technology coal-fired kilns in Punjab under the Section 144.
Chief Secretary Yousaf Naseem Khokar chaired a meeting on the issue. They made the decision to take action against those creating environmental and air pollution. He instructed all departments concerned to implement the ban to control smog. He added that the provincial government would not tolerate negligence in this matter. He also asked the public to play its role in the protection of the environment.
Home Department Special Secretary said that they would keep the old BTK technology kilns closed for a short while. They would decide this time period after consulting with stakeholders, he added.
The secretary said that the government would only allow new Zigzag technology kilns to operate and violators would have to face strict action. He added that they were arranging workshops to guide kiln owners about the Zigzag technology. He revealed that around 316 kilns were now working on this new technology.
