LAHORE: Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz on Sunday congratulated the people of Lahore for ensuring strict compliance with safety standard operating procedures (SOPs during the three-day Basant celebrations, calling it a collective success for the city and the provincial government.
In a message, the chief minister praised Lahorites for upholding the government’s trust and celebrating the festival responsibly. “I am happy that Lahoris lived up to our confidence. Lahore is very happy today, and so am I,” she said, while announcing that Basant celebrations on the final day had been extended by another five hours.
Maryam Nawaz said citizens played an exemplary role in observing a “joyful yet safe Basant” by following rules and regulations in letter and spirit. She added that the concept of Safe Basant was fully embraced across the city, with no major violations reported during the festivities.
According to the CM, there were no reports of the use of banned kites or prohibited chemical, metallic or oversized strings. Kite flying, she said, largely took place on rooftops in accordance with approved SOPs, while transformers and other critical infrastructure remained safe throughout the event.
She noted that preventive safety measures proved effective, particularly on rooftops, and credited coordination between law enforcement, district administration and citizens for maintaining order. The chief minister also announced that the Safe Basant model would be extended to other cities in Punjab in the future.
Maryam Nawaz further informed that emergency arrangements remained in place during the festival, with 200 Clinics on Wheels and 21 field hospitals deployed across Lahore, including high-traffic areas such as Liberty Chowk and the Walled City.
Concluding her message, the CM urged continued caution. “Today is the last day of the Basant festival; I would once again ask citizens to exercise more caution,” she said.
Meanwhile, on the final day of Basant, members of the Cabinet Committee on Law and Order (CCLO) celebrated the occasion at the rooftop of Government Victoria Girls Higher Secondary School, Mori Gate. They praised Lahorites as well as visiting foreigners for enjoying the festival responsibly and ensuring full implementation of safety SOPs.
