LAHORE: In a major move to enhance aviation safety, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has launched a comprehensive initiative to establish “No Bird Zones” around Lahore’s airports, aiming to prevent dangerous bird strikes that threaten air travel.
According to ARY News, the plan mobilizes the district administration, Wildlife Department, and Environment Protection Authority to enforce aerial safety measures, including “ring fencing” high-risk areas to keep birds away from flight paths.
Senior Provincial Minister Maryam Aurangzeb has been tasked with activating Punjab’s first-ever Wildlife Force to support the mission. Key actions include shutting down unauthorized poultry farms and slaughterhouses near airports, enforcing proper waste disposal in bakeries, and ensuring environmental compliance for leather tanning and manufacturing units.
Open-air garbage disposal—an attractant for birds—has been banned, and the use of covered dustbins has been made mandatory. Wildlife Rangers have already been directed to commence operations, backed by a strict enforcement of the Punjab Wildlife Act. Offenders will face fines, penalties, and possible arrest.
Maryam Aurangzeb emphasized that these steps are aligned with global aviation safety practices and are intended to significantly reduce bird-related flight hazards in and around Lahore.
The new safety push comes in the wake of a recent near-miss incident involving a PIA flight that encountered a bird strike—highlighting the urgency of the problem.
