Plans finalised for 3-day Basant festival; Lahore to be divided into 3 zones

LAHORE: The Lahore district administration has finalised plans for a three-day basant festival from February 6 to 8, under which the city will be divided into three zones (red, yellow and green) to make monitoring of the event more effective.

This was shared during a meeting chaired by Commissioner Lahore Marryam Khan, held on Saturday, to review preparations for ‘Safe Basant 2026’. The meeting was attended by DIG Operations Dr Faisal Kamran, District Commissioner Lahore Captain Ali Ejaz (retd), Walled City Lahore Authority DG Najam Al-Saqib, ADCG Zukhruf Fida, and officials from various departments, including Rescue 1122, MCL, WASA, LWMC, Punjab Transport Department, PERA Force, Punjab Energy Department, and Civil Defence.

During the meeting, the Commissioner explained that the division of the city into three zones aims to facilitate better monitoring of the event. “A Basant Central Command and Control Centre has been established at the DC Office in Lahore,” she said, adding that Public Building Safety is conducting a survey of rooftops in inner Lahore; if any roofs are deemed unsafe, warning notices will be issued for those houses. “Additionally, Walled City Public Safety and LESCO teams are required to be mobilised in the field to enforce safety measures. Public building safety teams will operate in narrow areas as well as throughout inner Lahore,” he added.

The Commissioner instructed Rescue 1122 to complete mock exercises for operations in open areas. She also emphasised that the LWMC should initiate a special cleaning campaign before basant, which will continue until the festival concludes. “All departments are reviewing their operations daily, both before and during the event, to ensure a safe basant,” she stated. She reassured attendees that during the festival, all departments will support the district administration and the police, with teams on round-the-clock duty in the field.

The Commissioner reiterated that the three-day event will only take place within the Lahore district and noted that kite flying before February 6 is strictly prohibited. “To enhance safety for citizens during the festival, free rides will be provided throughout the city. Additionally, free safety rods for motorbikes will be distributed from the Road Safety Camp. Under the Kite Flying Ordinance 2025, motorcyclists must install these safety rods,” she added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026