LAHORE: The civil society under the banner of Lahore Bachao Tehreek on Saturday staged a protest against pollution and smog in the city and other parts of the province.

A large number of protesters, who were wearing masks, were holding banners and placards bearing inscriptions: ‘Raise your voice against air pollution’, ‘Say no to air pollution’, ‘Go Green – Breathe Clean’.

The protesters also chanted slogans of ‘Bachao Bachao – Lahore Bachao’, ‘Let the people Live in Lahore’, ‘Stop cutting trees’, ‘Stop `colourful trains’, ‘Complete development projects at the earliest’.

The protesters also distributed masks to create awareness among masses about air pollution and demanded the government take steps to clean the environment in the city as well as other affected parts of the province.

Speaking on the occasion, Ayesha Shahnawaz and Imrana Tiwana said the Punjab government was in the habit of launching development projects that grievously affected environment. They alleged that the Lahore Development Authority had become a hub of corruption and it was busy converting residential areas into commercial hubs and threatening the environment severely.

Ayesha chided the Punjab Environment Protection Department for its “failure to check environmental degradation”.

Imrana demanded the government immediately stop cutting trees in the name of development projects for the sake of upcoming generations.