Categories Courts

LHC issues directives to launch smog  awareness campaign

While hearing a plea expressing grave concern over prevailing smog in provincial capital on Wednesday Lahore High Court issued directives for institutional arrangements to disseminate smog awareness campaign through television channels.

A petition has been filed before the LHC alleging the people at the helm of affairs failed to take measures to curb smog in Lahore. Taking up the petition on Wednesday, a single-member bench of Justice Shahid Karim plainly observed saying the managers should take tangible measures to address the smog whereas the provincial government has been directed to restrain from publicity that it has launched awareness plan on smog.

The bench asked the provincial government to launch awareness campaign about smog amid directing Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) to provide the awareness content to Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) for dissemination of the campaign.

Responding to the bench’s query as to why the smog not being cleared from the city, a director of the PDMA submitted that low temperature in the vicinity was one of the major reasons to cause smog, claiming the smog will come to an end in few days.

Appearing before the bench, mayor Lahore submitted that brick kilns were still running saying the smoke blackens clothes dark, when a person stands near these (brick kilns). He further apprised the court about measures taken to address the smog issue saying encroachments have been removed, traffic rules were made, fines were enhanced but still the smog persists, alleging the government was not taking steps to resolve the issue. Mayor Lahore submitted the vehicles are not being stopped, as there are long queues of vehicles owing to M-tag restriction.

The city mayor pleaded to reduce fine on vehicular over violation of one-way under the reason that financially the fine amount Rs500 was a burden to a layman, however, the bench turned down the plea observing people should avoid violating traffic laws.

During adjudication of the matter, the bench observed the court has to examine the reasons behind smog and then to measures to reduce smog in the city because it was effecting lives of the people at risk. The court also expressed its satisfaction over the action taken against the encroachments in the city and asked the concerned authority to place traffic plan before the court during next date of hearing. After directives in the matter, the bench adjourned hearing of the case till December 16.

Author

Shirin Ebadi,Kiana Rahman, Ali, Oslo, Editor, Kurdish woman Mahsa Jina Amini, Human Rights Activist Narges Mohammadi, Nobel Prize Committee, Woman, Life, Freedom, Nobel Peace Prize Award 2023

Ashi Asif is an advocate High Court and associated with TLTP News Wire Service as correspondent since 2020. She has covered The Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony Norway 2022. She can be reached at ashi@lawtoday.com.pk

More From Author

You May Also Like

Lahore High Court, Justice Abher Gul Khan, Sajjad Ali acquittal, murder conviction overturned, reasonable doubt, flawed investigation, evidentiary failures, delayed FIR, post-mortem delay, withholding witnesses, unsubstantiated motive, unreliable testimony, forensic gaps, Khudayar Mohla

LHC Acquits Murder Convict as Prosecution Failed to Prove the Story

LAHORE – A single-member bench of the Lahore High Court comprising Justice Abher Gul Khan,…

Supreme Court of Pakistan, Constitutional Bench, 26th Constitutional Amendment, judicial powers, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Ayesha A Malik, full court, judicial independence, suo motu, Chief Justice of Pakistan, Jawwad S Khawaja, Khawaja Ahmed, constitutional challenge, Article 191A, Parliament, Article 239, Islamabad.

Federation’s Role in 26th Amendment Passage Faces Court Scrutiny

ISLAMABAD – Resuming the hearing in response to over three dozen identical pleas challenging the…

Supreme Court of Pakistan, Public Facilitation Portal, judicial accessibility, online gateway, Chief Justice, Cases Information, Helpline 1818, Applications Status, Early Hearing Requests, Video Link Petitions, Complaints, Anti-Corruption Reporting, Overseas Litigants Portal, justice system, digital transformation

SC Launches ‘Public Facilitation Portal’ to Revolutionize Access to Justice

ISLAMABAD – Taking a significant step toward judicial accessibility, the Supreme Court of Pakistan has…