The Punjab Police have finalized a comprehensive security blueprint for the upcoming Basant preparations in Lahore, designating a significant number of areas as high-risk zones to prevent casualties associated with the festival.
Forty Areas Declared High-Risk Red Zones
In a major move, the city police have identified and declared 40 specific locations across Lahore as red zones. This decision stems directly from the historical record of injuries and fatalities linked to kite flying during the spring festival. To enforce security in these sensitive areas, joint teams comprising police and traffic police personnel have been constituted and deployed.
Checkpoints, Permissions, and a Continued Ban
Official police sources outlined several key measures of the new plan. Authorities will establish designated checkpoints where citizens can have their motorcycles strung, a common practice during Basant. Furthermore, the transportation of kite strings and kites themselves will only be permitted after obtaining official authorization.
It is crucial to note that the manufacturing and transportation of kites remain prohibited in the city under existing regulations. Kite production can only resume following an official government notification. To ensure strict adherence, surveillance in the red zones will be intensified using the advanced camera network of the Safe City Authority.
Parallel Police Operations Yield Results
Separately, Punjab Police have ramped up their crackdown on organized criminal networks throughout the province, including Lahore. Over the last 24 hours, these operations led to the arrest of nine alleged operatives belonging to four different gangs.
A spokesperson for the Punjab Police reported the recovery of a substantial cache of arms and other items from the suspects. The seized contraband includes:
- 93 weapons (Kalashnikovs, pistols, rifles, revolvers, shotguns)
- Hundreds of rounds of ammunition
- Two vehicles and six motorcycles
- Twelve mobile phones
- Four heads of cattle
- Cash amounting to Rs one million
The spokesperson added that during these confrontations with criminal elements, one suspect was killed, while seven others were apprehended in an injured condition.
