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- A fine worth $190,000 was imposed on the Punjab govt for not starting the project despite a lapse of two years.
- The decision to lift the fine was made due to measures taken by the government.
- Per the Punjab govt, under the programme, the use of electronic vehicles will be encouraged and pollution-causing vehicles will be phased out.
The World Bank recently lifted a fine worth $190,000 (over Rs30 million) it earlier imposed on the Punjab government for not starting the Punjab Green Development Programme despite a lapse of two years.
The decision to lift the fine was made due to measures taken by the government.
To reduce air pollution in Punjab, the World Bank had approved the Rs45- billion project, which was supposed to be launched in 2018 and completed within six years.
The Punjab government did not initiate any work on this project until 2020, a move that forced the World Bank to place the project in a negative category and impose a fine worth $190,000 on the government.
According to Punjab Environment Secretary Zahid Hussain, he had revived the project as soon as he assumed office and took steps that led to the lifting of the fine. He said that the project has also been removed from the negative category.
“For the purpose of the project, the Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar has approved the hiring of 1,301 new employees to set up offices at provincial and district levels,” he said.
The environment secretary added that the Punjab chief minister has approved the construction of an environmental policy monitoring centre, technology transfer centre, and green buildings.
He said that under the programme, the use of electronic vehicles will be encouraged and pollution-causing vehicles will be phased out.
Hussain added that the government has set up an environment endowment fund of Rs5 billion, under which trees will be planted and financial assistance will be provided to industries that will take steps to eliminate air pollution.
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