Looming smog: Govt officials ride bicycles while commuting to offices

LAHORE: Contributing their bit to cut back on smog that is most likely to lower on Punjab in the looming winters, the Lahore Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) employees turn to bicycles as their daily commute, ARY News reported on  Saturday.

Managing Director WASA Zahid Aziz noted on the occasion that the move is intended in the backdrop of smog. It is likely that their token contribution will trailblaze the trend to be followed by other employers and institutions.

According to WASA MD Aziz, starting today (Oct 31) every Saturday the staff led by the senior leadership will commute to the office via bicycles.

Aziz just recently rolled out a new set of instructions for the employees mandating their employees to travel via bicycle every Saturday starting today.

Moreover, as per the new regulations, employees, barring females, are not allowed to travel one car each but they will have to share their rides as one car will at least travel two officers daily.

WASA regulations further announced that, starting from October 16, that all the heavy machinery which adds to already debilitating levels of pollution in the city.

READ: Punjab CM to face court if evasive reply on anti-smog measures furnished, warns LHC

It may be noted that the previous year,  brick kilns and burning heaps of agricultural waste were noted to contribute the most in the severity of smog in Punjab keeping in mind which, the provincial authorities have imposed a ban on any such activity starting October until December.

Chairman Judicial Water and Environmental Commission Justice (r) Ali Akbar Qureshi proposed that the vehicles that add to air pollution need to be challaned while their use be banned until these could obtain a fitness certificate.