The Punjab Environment Protection Agency (EPA) banned heavy trucks from entering the city on Monday in an effort to reduce the amount of smog in Lahore. After elementary schools were closed for a week, heavy vehicles were prohibited from entering the provincial capital, according to an EPA notification.
On Fridays and Sundays, large vehicles will not be permitted to enter the city. According to the notification, all trucks carrying food, medication, and gasoline must have a Vehicle Inspection & accreditation System (VICS) accreditation.
This ban will not apply to fire-bridge vehicles or ambulances. Except on Fridays and Sundays, all heavy vehicles are permitted entry into the city at the times specified.
According to a second announcement by Punjab’s Environmental Protection Agency, traffic volume considerably rose on Friday and Sunday evenings and nights, and vehicle emissions were identified as a “major source of air pollution” in the city.
The provincial environmental protection agency’s announcement stated, “Punjab … do hereby order that there shall be complete ban on the entry of Heavy Transport Vehicles (HTVs) in District Lahore on Friday and Sunday nights.” “The HTVs may enter District Lahore at the times previously specified.”
The prohibition will take effect on November 8 and remain in force until January 31, 2025. The prohibition does not apply to passenger buses, ambulances, fire departments, Rescue 1122 vehicles, police and prison vehicles, government vehicles, or HTVs transporting fuel, medications, or food supplies.
Authorities changed school hours last month to keep kids from traveling during the morning hours, when pollution is most harmful, and prohibited them from engaging in outdoor activities until January.
Everyone in Lahore must wear a face mask, according to the administration, which has also issued new regulations in four “hot spots” in the city, such as prohibiting eateries from grilling food without filters and limiting motorized rickshaws. In order to reduce pollution, wedding venues are required to close at 10 p.m., and fake rain is probably going to be employed. The “green lockdown” in the city also requires 50% of government workers to work from home. Street and food sellers, who frequently cook over open fires, are required to close at 8 p.m., and construction has been delayed.
Provincial Punjab Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb cautioned farmers against burning crop leftovers on Sunday, saying that the public should rigorously adhere to precautionary measures and that children, the elderly, and the sick should exercise extra caution.
 banned heavy trucks from entering the city on Monday in an effort to reduce the amount of smog in Lahore.){kind=link}