‘Collective efforts improve environmental conditions in Punjab’

LAHORE: Secretary Environment Punjab, Silwat Saeed, said that environmental conditions in Punjab during the current year have been significantly better compared to the past several years. She said this improvement is the result of the Punjab government’s strong political commitment, clear policy direction, and continuous, well-coordinated efforts of the Environment Protection Department and Agency.

She said that this progress is not the achievement of any single institution, but the outcome of collective efforts by the government, private sector, industry, agriculture, transport sector, and all other stakeholders.

She was speaking at a detailed meeting at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The meeting was attended by LCCI President Faheem ur Rehman Saigol, Senior Vice President Tanveer Ahmed Sheikh, SAARC Chamber Vice President Mian Anjum Nisar, Director General Environment Protection Department Imran Sheikh, Executive Committee members Rana Nisar, Syed Salman Ali, Aamir Ali, Abdul Majeed, Rana Shaban Akhtar, Mohsin Bashir, Ihtisham-ul-Haq, and representatives from various industrial sectors.

LCCI President Faheem ur Rehman Saigol said that the Lahore Chamber fully supports all initiatives of the Punjab government aimed at improving air quality in Lahore and other cities. He said that instead of controlling industry through sudden shutdowns, it is more effective to facilitate industries and guide them towards environmentally friendly technologies.

He said the biggest challenge faced by industries is the lack of financing, which is slowing down environmental improvement measures. He urged the government to provide zero or low-markup financing so that industries can install modern machinery and emission control systems.

Secretary Environment informed the participants that the new building of the Environment Protection Department and Agency in Lahore has been constructed entirely under the green building concept, making it a first-of-its-kind project in the public sector. The building has also been activated as the Punjab Climate Watch Hub, where air quality, industrial emissions, transport emissions, agricultural activities, and other environmental indicators are being monitored through advanced digital and AI-based systems.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026