LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) directed the city traffic police on Monday to impose a fine of Rs5,000 on motorcyclists who fail to wear a helmet.

Justice Shahid Karim also instructed the traffic police chief to establish rules to increase the fine, and the court will issue an order regarding it.

The judge stated that motorcyclists would start complying when they are issued a Rs5,000 fine for disregarding the helmet-wearing requirement. The judge ordered the police to conduct a 10-day awareness campaign before enforcing the higher fine on motorcyclists.

Furthermore, the judge instructed traffic wardens to avoid causing congestion on the roads while checking for rule violations.

Justice Karim also took notice of rainwater accumulation in the newly constructed Kalma Underpass for the Central Business District (CBD) during the initial monsoon spell in the city.

The judge summoned the housing secretary and the chief executive officer of the CBD authority for the next hearing.

The judge remarked that the chief engineer of the Lahore Development Authority should have resigned immediately as the first rain exposed the underpass’s poor drainage system.

Additionally, the judge requested a report from the deputy commissioner regarding the damage caused to houses near the CBD underpass due to the rainwater accumulation.

The judge was presiding over public interest petitions concerning environmental and water issues.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2023