Saturdays off and artificial rains for Lahoris: Punjab Government
Lahore once again topped global charts in air pollution on Wednesday while the caretaker chief minister of Punjab called an important meeting to deal with the smog situation.
Caretaker Chief Minister Punjab Mohsin Naqvi discussed the closure of schools, colleges and universities in Punjab on Saturdays and fixed working hours for businesses that remain operational on Saturdays.
For now, he announced that schools and offices will be closed this Saturday, November 18.
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During the meeting, it was decided that business centres, theatres and cinemas across Punjab will also be able to open after 3 pm on Saturday.
Caretaker CM Naqvi also talked about the installation of smog air filter ioniser units at 12 places in Lahore. He additionally said that LWMC and WASA were spraying water on an area of 400 km daily and that consultations are also going on about artificial rain.
It was also decided that a special meteorological laboratory will be established in Punjab.
Previously, Lahore High Court ordered the closure of private and government schools and colleges on Saturday to control smog, adding that government and private offices should adopt a policy of working from home two days a week.
During the hearing of petitions for the prevention of smog, the court remarked that smog is no longer the problem of just Lahore, it has become the problem of all of the Punjab.