The Punjab Environment Protection Department has extended its anti-smog gun programme from Lahore to Gujranwala, where operations have formally begun. The technology was first tried as a pilot project in Lahore last year, and the department says the wider rollout is meant to address local effects of air pollution in more major cities across the province.
Where the programme goes next
According to the department, Sheikhupura, Faisalabad and Multan will be included in the next phase. Together with Gujranwala, these cities are among the larger urban centres the department wants to cover. The statement presents the expansion as a step toward reducing smog at the local level rather than as a single citywide measure.
Enforcement stepped up across Punjab
Field enforcement has also been intensified throughout the province under the supervision of Director General Environment Abdullah Nayyar Sheikh. Drone squads, night squads and Hawk Eye field teams are monitoring pollution sources on a continuing basis, so that violators can be identified and acted against quickly.
In the last 24 hours, enforcement teams carried out operations against industrial units, brick kilns, substandard plastic, barbecue outlets and commercial cooking points. Several premises were sealed, kilns were demolished, cases were registered and fines were imposed, the department said. The statement put the fines at millions of rupees in total but did not give an exact figure or a breakdown by violation.
Why the measures matter
Smog and air pollution have long been a concern for Punjab's big cities. The range of targets in the latest drive, from factories and kilns to small food outlets, shows that the department is looking at several kinds of pollution sources at once. Smog is a seasonal and regional problem, so the effect of any single city's measures depends partly on what neighbouring areas do.
The department's statement does not report any change in air quality yet, so the impact of the expansion on daily life remains to be seen. The next phase will show whether the same approach is applied in the other three cities.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Punjab ne anti-smog gun ka istemal Lahore ke baad ab Gujranwala tak barha diya hai. Sheikhupura, Faisalabad aur Multan agle marhale mein shamil honge. Factories, bhattay, plastic aur barbecue outlets par nigrani barh gayi hai, aur khilaf-warzi karne walon ke premises seal ho rahe hain, bhattay tor diye ja rahe hain aur jurmanay lagaye ja rahe hain. Agar aap in shehron mein rehte hain ya in karobaron se wabasta hain, to pollution ke qawaneen ka khayal rakhein.
