LHC orders govt to extend winter holidays as smog situation deteriorates

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has ordered the Punjab government to extend the winter holidays of all educational institutions for a week because of extreme smog in the city.

LHC announced the decision for the closure of the educational institutions while hearing petitions seeking court’s intervention for smog control.

The court also summoned the Provincial Disaster Management Authority’s (PDMA) director general in the next hearing.

During the hearing, the court said that the smog is being controlled to an extent, adding that “the government is responsible for the prevention of the smog”.

The court then adjourned the hearing till Friday.

Earlier, the high court had ordered Lahore’s district administration to close markets and restaurants by 10pm on weekends, keeping in view the worsening situation of smog in the city.

The LHC had previously ordered the closure of schools for three days a week, (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) as it attempted to take a page out of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) control measures to limit the exposure of students to the hazardous air.

This is the fifth consecutive year that residents of Lahore have been breathing in hazardous air, posing a serious challenge to their health and daily function.