Rawalpindi to impound smoke-emitting vehicles in anti-smog drive
Rawalpindi Traffic Police will launch a large-scale crackdown on smoke-emitting vehicles, impounding polluting vehicles and issuing heavy fines as part of a new anti-smog push ordered by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. The move targets vehicles that pour exhaust smoke into the air and worsen the smog that blankets Punjab every winter.
The directive comes from the chief minister and Chief Traffic Officer Farhan Aslam. Under the CTO’s instructions, the traffic police have formed special squads and dedicated inspection teams to hunt down polluting vehicles. The teams will set up checks at transport terminals and at the city’s entry and exit points.
What the smoke-emitting vehicles crackdown involves
CTO Farhan Aslam said smoke-emitting vehicles would not be allowed to enter Rawalpindi at all. Police will impound the vehicles of violators and issue heavy fines. The vehicles will stay impounded until their owners obtain valid fitness certificates — a requirement designed to force repairs rather than simply collect fines.
The crackdown arrives as Punjab heads into smog season, when a mix of vehicle exhaust, crop burning and industrial emissions turns the air across the province hazardous. Lahore has repeatedly featured among the world’s most polluted cities during these months, and recent smog episodes have already disrupted daily life. Rawalpindi’s decision to block polluting vehicles at entry points signals that the administration wants to act before the worst of the smog sets in, rather than after.
Vehicle fitness certification has long existed on paper, but enforcement has been patchy. By tying the release of impounded vehicles to valid fitness certificates, the police are putting real weight behind the rule for the first time in the city.
Smog season raises the stakes
The timing is deliberate. Punjab’s smog season typically sets in from late October, when falling temperatures trap vehicle exhaust, crop-residue smoke and industrial emissions close to the ground. Lahore’s air quality index touched 210 earlier this week — rated “very unhealthy” — according to Tribune reporting, a reminder of how quickly conditions deteriorate.
The province has been tightening the screws on polluting vehicles from several directions. Punjab has also moved against smoke-emitting government vehicles, and the e-bike scheme for students forms part of the same clean-transport push. For Rawalpindi’s drivers, the message is consistent: get the engine fixed and the fitness certificate in hand, or risk losing the vehicle at a checkpoint.
What drivers should do
Owners of older vehicles — particularly commercial wagons, rickshaws and trucks with visibly smoking exhausts — should get their engines serviced and obtain fitness certificates before the squads start work. Entry-point checks mean even vehicles just passing through Rawalpindi could be stopped.
Which vehicles will be impounded?
Any vehicle found emitting smoke and contributing to air pollution. Checks will run at transport terminals and at Rawalpindi’s entry and exit points.
How can owners get their vehicles back?
Impounded vehicles will remain with the police until their owners obtain valid fitness certificates, along with paying the applicable fines.
Why is this happening now?
Punjab is entering smog season, when air quality across the province drops sharply. The crackdown is part of the provincial government’s effort to cut vehicle emissions, a major contributor to winter smog.
*Source: ProPakistani*
