As a result of the worsening smog, the Punjab government has ordered that schools will be closed three days a week in Lahore. The provincial administration sent out a notification to that effect last night.
The notification, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, states that due to the current SMOG condition, all public and private schools in District Lahore shall remain closed on every Friday and Saturday, in addition to the weekly holiday on Sunday, until further orders. The notification was issued by the instructions of the honorable Lahore High Court in writ petition No. 227807/ 2018 by order dated 02-12-2022.
The administration was notified to close schools in the provincial capital for at least three days a week by the Lahore High Court on Tuesday. While hearing public interest petitions on several environmental issues, LHC Justice Shahid Karim issued the order. The provincial law officer was required by the LHC judge to present the notification of the school’s closure in court on Wednesday (today). The Punjab School Education Department sent a notice late on Tuesday by the court’s directives, and a copy of it was also delivered to the LHC bench today.
In the meanwhile, the provincial capital’s private offices will be closed on Friday and Saturday every week, according to a notice from the Provincial Disaster Management Authority. The decree will be in effect from December 7 to January 15. The notification also stated that employees might work remotely during the specified time. Parvez Elahi, the chief minister of Punjab, referred to the fog as a “calamity” and demanded that a strategy to reduce smog in the region be put into action. He further stated that actions have to be taken to control the smog’s causes. The CM declared that failing to fully apply the ongoing SOPs to reduce smog would not be tolerated.
In cooperation with administrative officials, the departments of transportation, industries, and environmental protection department (EPD) should head out into the field. He had stated that people who set crop leftovers on fire should face “indiscriminate action,” which is prohibited in the entire province. The judge had pointed out last week that the government had failed to manage smog, and he had ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to establish rules to strengthen punishment for brick kilns and other enterprises that broke the rules. Justice Karim remarked that smog had been causing health issues for individuals, particularly youngsters and the elderly.
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