LAHORE: Due to haze, the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday ordered that all marketplaces and eateries close by 10 p.m.
The LHC has resumed hearing petitions pertaining to various environmental issues, and Justice Shahid Kareem has ordered the authorities to guarantee that all restaurants close as soon as possible given the city’s increasing levels of smog. According to the directive, restaurants must close to the public by 10 p.m. on weekdays and 11 p.m. on weekends.
In the previous hearing, the LHC had instructed the Punjab government to keep Lahore’s schools closed for three days each week due to the city’s dangerous pollution levels. When giving orders to the appropriate agencies, the court made a point of emphasising rigorous supervision of the directives’ implementation.”Now these orders must be watched,” the court ruled.
On Tuesday, the commissioner of Lahore met with wholesale and retail traders for consultation. He had declared that every market in the city would close at 10 p.m. on weekdays and would be closed entirely on Sundays.
Although the judge stated during the hearing today that markets may be open on Sundays. For the time being, the court ordered that Sunday market hours be maintained. LHC added that the eateries might also be permitted to stay open until 11 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
