The Punjab government has announced the closure of schools three days a week across the province in view of aggravated levels of smog.
According to the order from the Lahore High Court dated 02/12/2022, it is announced that due to the current smog condition, all public & private schools in District Lahore shall stay closed on every Friday & Saturday in addition to the weekly holiday on Sunday till further orders.
While hearing public interest petitions on several environmental issues, LHC Justice Shahid Karim issued the order.
The provincial law officer was instructed by the LHC judge to present the notification of the schools’ closure in court on Wednesday (today).
The Punjab School Education Department published a notice late on Tuesday that was also brought before the LHC bench today in accordance with the court’s directives.
Punjab Chief Minister Parvez Elahi declared the fog a “calamity” and ordered the effective implementation of a plan intended to lessen the effects of smog in the province. He also added that steps needed to be made to control the causes of the smog.
The CM stated that the ongoing SOPs to minimize smog must be implemented in full—failure to do so would not be accepted. The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) should coordinate with transportation and industries to minimize the adverse effects of the situation.
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 control smog, and he had ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish rules to strengthen punishment for brick kilns and other industries for breaking the rules. Justice Karim noted that smog had been causing health issues for citizens, particularly kids and the elderly.
