A three-member delegation of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) called on the District Nazim Mian Amer Mahmood here on Thursday and discussed various proposals for extending a grant of US $1 million, besides extending technical assistance for improving quality of air in the provincial metropolis.
District Co-ordination Officer Khalid Sultan, Chief Engineer TEPA Khushhal Khan and other concerned officials were also present on the occasion. Robert Anderson, Dr Pat DeLaqqul and Ms Farzana Shah represented the ADB mission.
It may be mentioned that the Asian Development Bank had selected Lahore in Pakistan, Dhaka in Bangladesh and Delhi in India for combating environmental pollution in these cities on priority basis.
Mian Amer Mahmood told the delegation that vehicular emission, especially that of two-stroke engine, was the main cause of environmental degradation in Lahore.
The federal government had already banned the import of two- stroke engines for rickshaws. It had also prohibited use of Light Compressed Gas as fuel in the motor vehicles, he added.
In order to replace wagons under a phased programme, the government had offered generous incentives to the investors for introducing CNG buses in the city so as to check vehicular pollution.
Besides extending 10-percent subsidy in mark up on loans to the companies introducing CNG buses, the federal government had also offered them rebate in custom duty for importing engines and chassis for this purpose from abroad, he revealed.
The District Nazim told the delegation that Daewoo Bus Service was planning to introduce as many as 100 CNG buses on various urban transport routes in the city.
He said that the City District Government was also encouraging installation of CNG stations in the city and it had granted NOC to more than 37 entrepreneurs for this purpose.
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