Traffic police would start crackdown against heavy smoke-emitting vehicles and also the ones without properly functioning head and tail lights from October 1, 2018 across the city due to an expected increase in smog.
The Inspector General of Police issued the instructions to the City Traffic Police to launch crackdown against heavy smoke emitting vehicles on roads in the provincial metropolis. He also directed to ensure that these smoke emitting vehicles will not be spared from legal proceedings. A report will be furnished of all detained vehicles on a daily basis.
If smog is prevalent, drivers should also be bound to keep head lights, fog lights and indicators switched on even in day time. Drivers of buses and trucks should not exceed the speed limit. Yellow papers should be fastened with fog lights in order to avoid accidents. Operation against smoke emitting commercial and public service vehicles should be carried out with mutual cooperation of environment department.
Health experts of different hospitals recommended citizens to cover their noses and mouths and wear protective glasses and helmets to fight the effects of smog.
They also urged the citizens to keep their houses neat and clean besides closing windows so that dust does not enter the house.
Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Liaquat Ali Malik said with the collaboration of environment department, teams would take strict action against smog-emitting vehicles across the city on coming Monday. The CTO added that City Traffic Police and environment department teams would also arrange awareness campaigns with transporters at Bund Road, Lorri Adda and other places on the issue.
The CTO said that CTP and other department teams would establish pickets at Bund Road, Lorri Adda, Sherakot, Ferozpur Road, Thokar Niaz Baig as well as other important roads of the city to take strict crackdown against smog-emitting vehicles.
A number of doctors said that smog was very dangerous for those suffering from lung ailments like asthma. They said extended duration of smog presence may also affect eyesight. They said ground-level ozone, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide were very harmful for senior citizens, children and people with heart and lung diseases.
(Daily Times)
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