Smog: LHC passes important order for education dept

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday ordered the Punjab school education department to devise a strategy for procurement of school buses for children to control smog threat, ARY News reported.

The ruling was announced by LHC bench hearing pleas seeking the court’s intervention to curb smog.

LHC Justice Shahid Karim directed the school education department to ensure implementation on the order of procurement of buses for big schools in first phase and later expand the initiative across the board.

LHC has directed schools to implement its order by November 30 and also ordered to not install generators or any other equipment at the green belts.

Earlier, Lahore traffic police launched a public outreach campaign aimed at reducing the smog threat in the provincial capital of Punjab.

The Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) in a message has encouraged citizens to report vehicles emitting excessive smoke by sending videos and pictures via WhatsApp.

A dedicated WhatsApp number, 0304-2222089, has been introduced by the Lahore traffic police for this purpose.

What Causes Smog in Lahore?

Smoke from vehicles, factories and burning of the remains of crops have been major factors behind the dense smog that engulfs cities in the beginning days of the winter resulting in breathing issues and other health problems.

Punjab badly struck with such weather conditions in recent years in the initial days of winter in the region.