LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Industries & Trade Mian Aslam Iqbal has directed the provincial environment department to launch a comprehensive awareness campaign regarding environment protection.

He said mapping of all the industries in the province should be done with the participation of urban unit for ensuring environment protection while brick kilns should also be included in the mapping process.

Mian Aslam Iqbal issued these directives while reviewing the performance of the department of environmental protection for its capacity building and future strategy here on Monday.

Provincial Minister for Environmental Protection Bao Muhammad Rizwan, Secretary Environmental Protection Department Syed Mubashar Hussain, head of special monitoring unit Fazeel Asif and other concerned officers attended the meeting.

The meeting also reviewed the ongoing and new schemes under the ADP of the department. The meeting decided to accelerate the pace of implementation of the Punjab Green Development program.

While addressing the meeting, Aslam Iqbal said institutions concerned with the controlling of environmental pollution should fulfill their responsibilities. Letters should be sent to those responsible for this purpose. He also directed that a policy should be formulated to make it mandatory to cover sand and mud trolleys in the city.

Vehicles and industries creating pollution should be classified and an action plan should be formulated. Secretary Protection Environmental Department Syed Mubashar Hussain told that the one window cell in the department is fully operational and a new smog policy has also been prepared on the directions of the prime minister.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022