Lahore markets, restaurants to close by 10pm as smog worsens

Lahore: In a bid to control smog in the provincial capital, the Lahore High Court (LHC) Wednesday ordered the authorities to close markets and restaurants by 10:00pm. 

According to details, the orders of early closure of markets and restaurants were issued by Justice Shahid Karim while hearing a petition seeking the court’s intervention to curb smog. 

As smog continues to blanket Lahore, court also ordered that schools opening on Fridays be sealed and directed the education department to strictly follow the new instructions. 

While issuing the directives, the court said that the restaurants should be allowed to close at 11 pm on weekends.

Reportedly, in today’s hearing, the court was suggested to close the markets on Sunday, however, it put off the suggestion for now. 

The hearing has been adjourned till December 19.

The court issued a directive saying that restaurants should be allowed to close at 11 pm on weekends.

Last week, the city district administration launched a crackdown on the industrial units and other businesses causing severe environmental pollution. 

In Lahore, it emerges that the situation has extremely worsened, as hundreds of furnaces and other kinds of factories in the city continue to operate without having proper instruments (scrubber machines) to control the smog allegedly, causing a rapid rise in the haze.