The Punjab government has ordered the closure of all public Lahore schools and private offices for three days a days due to the worsening situation of smog in the provincial capital till January 15.
As per the notification issued by the Punjab government:
The public schools and offices in Lahore will remain close on Saturday, Sunday and Monday from November 27 to January 15.
The directive was issued by Punjab Relief Commissioner Babar Hayat Tarar in hope that:
The closure will act “as a preventive and speedy remedy” to ensure “public safety, conserve lives and preempt and mitigate imminent threat of smog in the province of Punjab”, the order stated. During this closure period, the educational institutions will be able to conduct online classes to keep up with the academic planning. Similarly, private companies can allow their employees to work from home as well.
On the other hand, Punjab Minister Usman Buzdar in a statement said:
The authorities will take every step necessary to overcome the smog situation. The government has already banned the burning of industrial material, crop leftover and tires, to avoid a deterioration of the issue. The chief minister made it clear that no violation will be tolerated in terms of the government’s efforts to improve air quality in the province.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Air Quality Index has reached dangerous levels in the provincial capital, and the city was reportedly placed amongst the most polluted cities in the world for the past several days. On Sunday too, the air quality in Lahore was recorded at 370.
