Smog: Shops, wedding halls, restaurants sealed in Lahore over violation

Dozens of shops, wedding halls and restaurants were sealed in Lahore as authorities have intensified enforcement of early market closures at 8 p.m to address smog issues.

According to details, 75 shops and several wedding halls have been sealed across Lahore for violating closing hours, while 14 restaurants were shut down for defying the ban on outdoor dining.

In Shalimar Tehsil, 9 shops and 3 restaurants were sealed for violations, while City Tehsil saw 4 shops sealed for staying open past designated hours.

In Ravi Tehsil, authorities sealed 12 shops, and in Raiwind Tehsil, 4 restaurants and 4 shops were closed for non-compliance.

Cantonment Tehsil saw 5 shops and 3 restaurants sealed, and in Saddar Tehsil, 5 shops were also shut down for breaching closing time regulations.

It may be noted that on Friday, the Lahore High Court (LHC) mandated that all markets would close by 8:00 PM each day and remain shut on Sundays as part of efforts to address the intense smog affecting the city.

While issuing the order, Justice Shahid Karim noted that despite numerous hearings and calls for action, there has been a lack of effective measures to combat smog. He expressed a desire to avoid issuing orders that cannot realistically be enforced.

This ruling to close markets came after various government departments presented performance reports on their efforts to mitigate smog before Justice Karim. The court instructed authorities to limit vehicle access to motorways and the Ring Road and to impose a complete ban on the entry of trucks and trailers into the city.