LAHORE: The Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA) has begun installing panic buttons in women’s educational institutions across the province to improve security and privacy for female students.
According to a PSCA spokesperson, the panic buttons facility has so far been set up in 39 women’s colleges and universities in Lahore under the first phase of the initiative. It will gradually be extended to 450 women’s colleges across Punjab.
In the event of an emergency, students will be able to press the button to generate an instant alert at the PSCA’s control room. The alert will trigger a response from the Virtual Women Police Station. The authority said panic button facilities were already functional at 101 locations in Punjab, including 122 key points in Lahore.
Biometric identification of unclaimed bodies
Separately, the “Meri Pehchaan” initiative has launched biometric verification of unclaimed bodies in mortuaries across Lahore in an effort to prevent them from remaining unidentified for years.
According to Meri Pehchaan Centre In-charge Jamil Ahmed, the team has carried out biometric verification of 1,240 bodies from government and private morgues and handed over 805 to their families. In addition, the team identified 1,359 missing or mentally challenged individuals living in old-age homes and welfare institutions, reuniting 736 with their families.
The system is linked with the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) and uses fingerprint verification for quick identification.
The process has also been extended to Edhi centres. Edhi Foundation Lahore head Faisal Jalal said the organisation had been running the initiative since 2024, and so far nearly 1,200 individuals had been identified while about 900 bodies were handed over to their heirs.
PSCA officials said facial recognition technology was also being utilised to help identify unclaimed bodies.
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Enforcement of helmet laws
Meanwhile, Punjab’s traffic police have intensified enforcement of helmet laws, warning that negligence on the road endangered both bikers and other commuters.
According to Punjab DIG (traffic), enforcement against helmet violations has increased by 80 per cent across the province. In August alone, police issued 130,000 challans for non-compliance — including over 85,000 in Lahore, 10,000 in Faisalabad, 6,600 in Rawalpindi, 5,000 in Multan and 2,700 in Sialkot.
The crackdown forms part of a joint awareness campaign run by HUM Network, Shell Pakistan and Punjab traffic police to highlight the importance of road safety and adherence to traffic laws.
