Basant Festival: Record entry of 900,000 vehicles in Lahore over three days

LAHORE: A record 900,000 vehicles entered Lahore during the three-day Basant celebrations, while approximately 1.4 million passengers travelled on Orange Line Metro Train, metrobus, feeder buses, electric buses and other government transport services over two days, setting a new milestone.

A special video-link meeting was held under the supervision of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, during which Senior Minister Maryam Aurangzeb presented a two-day Basant report. Home Secretary Ahmad Javed Qazi, Commissioner Lahore, health department, PHA, police and security officials gave detailed briefings.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif expressed satisfaction over the arrangements and security measures for Basant and stated that today is the final day of the Basant festival. “Kite flying will be stopped at night, and the ban on kite flying will remain in force after the conclusion of the three-day Basant festival,” she said.

The chief minister appreciated the cooperation of the citizens of Lahore during the festival and appealed to the public to continue following Basant SOPs and rules on the final day as a responsible citizen.

During the briefing, it was informed that more than 600,000 passengers travelled free of cost on the Orange Line Metro Train over two days, with 299,000 passengers on Friday and 305,000 on Saturday.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026