“Boys will roam around girls' colleges:” LHC halts CM Maryam’s e-bike scheme

The Lahore High Court on Friday temporarily halted the Punjab government's initiative to distribute electric motorbikes (e-bikes) among students in the province.

The court put the program on hold until further orders during a hearing related to smog reduction efforts.

Justice Shahid Karim requested a detailed report from the government outlining the program's scope, implementation plan, and number of e-bikes allocated to each city.

During the hearing, Justice Karim expressed concerns about potential safety issues if students received e-bikes. 

He mentioned that if students are given electric bikes, some may engage in reckless behavior like one-wheeling and roaming around girls' colleges.

The judge suggested the government to promote public transport and provide electric buses instead of e-bikes as a safer and more sustainable option for students.

CM Punjab Maryam Nawaz Shairf launched the "Punjab e-Bike Scheme'' on April 12 under the Chief Minister Youth Initiative, aiming to distribute 20,000 electric bikes. Balloting for distribution was scheduled for Friday (today).

The program offered students the option to acquire e-bikes through installments. The proposed monthly payment was set at Rs11,676 for male students and Rs7,325 for female students.

The e-bike distribution quota was proposed to be 50/50 in urban areas, while in rural areas, the quota was 70% male and 30% female.

The distribution plan aimed to allocate e-bikes based on population density in each district to ensure fairness.