Capital City Police Officer Lahore Bilal Siddique Kamyana on Wednesday announced that fines would be imposed from Feb 1 on motorcyclists riding without safety rods, as part of a comprehensive safety plan for Basant.
The announcement was made at a ceremony held at the Town Hall to launch the installation of safety rods and a public awareness campaign under the Safe Basant initiative. The event was organised jointly with Lahore Commissioner Maryam Khan and attended by senior officials, including CTO Lahore Athar Waheed, Deputy Commissioner Lahore Capt (retd) Ali Ijaz and representatives of Rescue 1122, health, education, LDA and PHA departments. During the ceremony, safety rods were installed on motorcycles and awareness pamphlets were distributed among citizens.
Addressing the gathering, the CCPO said the Basant Safety Plan aimed to ensure the protection of life and property. Under the initiative, one million motorcycles would be fitted with safety rods free of cost. He reiterated a policy of zero tolerance for aerial firing, warning that strict legal action would be taken against violators. He added that a special traffic management plan had also been devised for the festival.
Sharing enforcement details, Mr Kamyana said police had registered 1,078 cases and arrested 1,115 individuals during the ongoing month in operations against illegal kite flying. More than 40,000 illegally manufactured and sold kites and 926 spools were seized. He clarified that kite flying would only be permitted on Feb 6, 7 and 8, and strict action would be taken against violations on any other day. Legal action would also be initiated against parents or guardians of children found involved in illegal kite flying.
The CCPO said round-the-clock monitoring would be carried out during Basant through special control rooms at the Safe City Authority and the commissioner’s office, using CCTV cameras and drones. He urged the media to play a responsible role in promoting safe celebrations from Feb 6 to 8.
Speaking on the occasion, Commissioner Maryam Khan said that, on the directives of the Punjab Chief Minister, district and police administrations were fully mobilized. She said a special campaign was underway to ensure public safety, particularly for motorcyclists, adding that a free ride service would be available across the city during Basant.
