LHC extends schools, colleges holidays due to smog

Lahore: The Lahore High Court (LHC) Tuesday ordered to extend the holidays in schools and colleges of Punjab province for a week (7 days) due to worsening smog situation.

The court had ordered the authorities to submit the notification in this regard.

It is pertinent to mention that smog condition in Punjab including Lahore had been soaring everyday.

Earlier on December 14, in a bid to control smog in the provincial capital, LHC had 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.

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.