LAHORE: The Environment Protection Department Punjab has unveiled a plan to gradually turn major commercial centres across Punjab into plastic-free zones, with leading markets in Lahore selected for the first phase of implementation, Parliamentary Secretary for Environment Kanwal Liaquat announced on Thursday.
The announcement was made during a visit to Ichhra Market where Director General Environment Protection Punjab Dr Imran Hamid Sheikh and Kanwal Liaquat held a joint media briefing with representatives of traders’ associations.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Imran Hamid Sheikh said the provincial government had launched a “decisive war” against plastic pollution under a strict zero-tolerance policy. He reiterated that shopping bags below 75 microns remain completely banned and warned that any violation would invite immediate legal action.
He said authorities have so far confiscated more than 400,000 kilograms of prohibited plastic shopping bags across the province, including over 100,000 kilograms in Lahore alone, in what he described as an unprecedented crackdown against the illegal production and sale of banned plastic material.
The DG said major markets in Lahore would be converted into plastic-free zones in phases, adding that visible improvement had already been recorded in Ichhra Market, which could soon be formally declared a plastic-free zone.
Highlighting recent enforcement measures, he said officials carried out a major operation at Mochi Gate where 1,000 kilograms of prohibited plastic bags were seized in a single day.
Dr Sheikh warned that illegal plastic manufacturing units would face stricter action, including closure of factories, heavy fines and sealing of business premises, stressing that “the time for warnings is over and only enforcement will continue.”
He added that squads of the Environment Protection Force were actively conducting daily raids, while the department was also assisting district administrations in joint operations to accelerate the anti-plastic campaign across Punjab.
Kanwal Liaquat said the government was committed to making Punjab environmentally safer and urged traders and consumers to support the initiative by switching to eco-friendly alternatives.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
Comments