- Advertisement -
LAHORE, Nov 04 (APP):The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday proposed a complete ban on commercial activities on Sundays to curb worsening smog in the provincial capital.
The court also directed authorities to ensure strict implementation of the 2023 notification mandating the closure of markets at 10 pm and restaurants at 11 pm.
Justice Shahid Karim heard petitions filed by citizen Haroon Farooq and others concerning air pollution. Deputy Commissioner Lahore Mohsin Raza appeared before the court during the proceedings.
The court expressed dissatisfaction over the lack of enforcement, asking why the 2023 closure notification was not being implemented. The DC informed the court that the timings specified in the notification were still in effect.
The court observed that it might become necessary to close all commercial activities every Sunday for at least a month—or possibly two months—to help control the pollution level. He also directed that wedding halls must close by 10 p.m. and noted ongoing violations of the one-dish rule, though he added that the latter was not directly related to environmental concerns.
The court instructed that traffic in the city must not be halted even for five minutes and ordered the DC Lahore to submit a detailed compliance report.
The court also voiced concern over WASA’s ongoing construction projects, stating that the projects seem endless and are contributing to road accidents and dust pollution.
The court directed WASA to present full details of all its projects along with their contractual completion timelines. The Environment Department was also instructed to impose fines on departments, including WASA and LDA, for violations contributing to pollution.
The court ordered the department to submit a report by Friday, outlining the penalties imposed on each department and project.
Subsequently, the hearing of the smog case was adjourned until November 7.