From Abid Usman
LAHORE: The Punjab government on Friday ‘temporarily’ lifted restrictions, imposed to curb high-level of smog, while announcing that all the public schools across the province will remain open on December 2 (Saturday).
In a statement issued on X (formerly Twitter), Home Minister Amir Mir announced that all the public schools in Punjab will remain open on December 2 (Saturday). “The winter vacations will start from December 18 to January 1 in the public schools,” the minister added.
Moreover, Mir said, all the markets, shops and restaurants will remain open across Punjab on Saturday and Sunday. In the upcoming week, steps will be taken considering the situation of the smog in the province, the home minister concluded.
Lahore, Pakistan’s second-largest city with a population of 11 million, continues to be either on top or among the top three most polluted cities due to large-scale smog.
Earlier on November 24, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab notified the imposition of smart lockdown in 10 districts of the province amid increasing level of smog.
The smart lockdown will remain enforced in Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, Sahiwal, and Sargodha divisions. The educational institutions are also closed in the aforesaid districts.
Meanwhile, markets, shops, cinemas, and restaurants will remain closed till 3 pm, according to the notification.
