Deadline expires, crackdown begins: Punjab enforces green sticker emission drive

LAHORE: With the August 31 deadline now over, the Punjab Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday launched a sweeping crackdown against vehicles without green stickers, tightening its grip on vehicular pollution as the smog season looms.

Director General EPA Imran Hamid Sheikh announced that the agency’s emission testing system has been made fully operational and enforcement has formally begun. “Vehicles without green stickers will face strict action,” he said, adding that the drive is aimed at reducing harmful emissions in urban areas.

In the first phase, cars manufactured between 2010 and 2015 are being targeted. Warning slips are being issued, and according to EPA spokesperson Sajid Bashir, these slips are also being sent by post along with e-challans. “On repeat violation, fines and legal action will follow, and persistent offenders may even have their vehicles impounded,” he warned.

So far, more than 350,000 vehicles have cleared emission tests and been issued green stickers. Only those passing the inspection, covering engine, silencer, and catalytic converter, qualify for the clearance.

Authorities have made it clear that Lahore will be under particular scrutiny. During the smog season, vehicles without green stickers will not be allowed to enter or operate in the city.

“Lahore’s roads will be off-limits to cars without clearance,” Bashir stressed, urging citizens to visit the nearest testing booths without delay. A nominal fee for the sticker is expected to be announced soon. Officials believe the measure will help improve air quality and protect public health in one of Pakistan’s most polluted regions.

It may be recalled that the EPA had earlier set June 30 as the deadline for compliance, but extended it to August 31 following a surge of vehicle owners at testing booths. The expiry of that extension has now triggered the enforcement phase.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025