The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday directed officials to close cafes by 10pm daily, except on Saturdays when one-hour extension is permitted.
The directive is part of endeavours to fight smog in Lahore. The judge made a particular mention of Johar Town which has countless cafes. He warned that the cafes violating the orders would be sealed.
Justice ShahidKarim also ordered the sealing of smoke-belching factories that were recently desealed. He lauded the initiative of organising a cycle rally in Lahore on Sunday (Nov 26). The Provincial Disaster Management Authority says in a notification there will be “restricted movement” in Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, Sahiwal and Sargodha divisions. “All markets, shops, and restaurants would open after 3pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and all offices would open after 3pm on Saturday. Schools would also remain closed on Friday (November 24) and Saturday (November 25),” says the notification. The provincial government has made face masks mandatory for people in 10 districts.
Smart lockdown was clamped on Friday on 10 districts of the Punjab, including capital city Lahore, on the directive of the caretaker government as the smog situation worsened. Educational institutions – schools, colleges and universities – were closed in Lahore, Nankana Sahib, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot Narowal, Hafizabad and MandiBahauddin districts. The institutions will remain closed on Saturday also. The caretaker government had taken strong notice of the smog scourge and ordered earlier this month to wear face masks and closure of markets to curb the menace.
