LAHORE: Special anti-smog squads of the environment department Punjab took action against 51 industrial units during the last 24 hours and sealed 23 units besides registering FIRs against eight and arresting three people on violation of environment laws.

The squads also imposed a collective find of Rs1.1 million on these units while carrying out operations in Karol Ghati, Mominpura, Mahmood Booti, Daroghawala and Badami Bagh areas.

According to a spokesman of the environment department, the sealed 23 units included steel mills, furnaces and etc. These units were sealed or fined for using old tyres, carbon and substandard fuel or due to lack of smog control scrubbers.

The spokesman further said that these squads during the last one month had so far inspected 1,685 industrial units in Lahore out of which 385 units were sealed because of numerous violations while notices were served on 476 units besides imposition of a collective fine of Rs72.2 million.

Director General Environment Department Punjab Zaheer Abbas said a zero tolerance policy had been adopted against those industrial units contributing to air pollution. He said no units would be allowed to operating without installing a smog control system.

The department had also warned the owners of sealed units that arrests would be made against those found involved in illegally breaking the seals besides registration of cases.

Meanwhile, on Friday anti-smog squads carried out operations against pyrolysis plants across the province and disconnected electricity to 21 such plants in Lahore while issued final warning to seven pyrolysis plants in Rawalpindi on the charges of illegally producing carbon.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023