Amid the worsening air quality with the onset and prevalence of smog in Lahore and other districts of Punjab, caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced that schools, colleges and all educational institutes will remain closed in 10 districts of the province on Friday and Saturday.
Naqvi announced this in a press conference following an important meeting on the issue in Lahore. The decision would apply to Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, Sargodha and Sahiwal divisions.
He also announced that air-purifying towers would be installed in Lahore, while 10,000 students would be given electric motorbikes on subsidy.
Artificial rain will be conducted if the clouds are closer to Lahore on November 29, the CM said, adding he was not in favour of closing markets, so they will open at 3pm on Friday and Saturday.
All kinds of markets will remain closed on Sunday, while restaurants will also open at 3pm.
The government has also decided to double the spray of water on roads. On Sunday, The Mall road will be open to only cyclists from morning to 5pm.
Naqvi advised everyone to wear a mask when getting out of their houses. He claimed that the wind from India is impacting Punjab.
Earlier, the authorities had prepared suggestions to impose a soft smog lockdown in view of the hazardous levels of air pollution. According to the suggestions, extraordinary traffic was declared the major reason for smog.
The departments proposed the closure of all schools, colleges, and universities on Friday. On Saturday also, it was considered to completely close markets, gyms, cinemas, theatres, and factories.
The proposals included the closure of restaurants on Saturday, while take-out and home delivery would be allowed. Public and private transport would have to be limited in the city, as per the proposals.
Government offices would also operate at 50% capacity. It was also proposed to set up pickets in the city after imposing the soft smog lockdown on Friday and Saturday.
It was proposed to shut down and heavily fine factories operating against the law. The imposition of Section 144 in Lahore was also being mulled.
Earlier this morning, on Thursday, the air quality index of Lahore had crossed the dangerous levels of 500 and took the city back to the top spot on the list of most polluted cities in the world.
The AQI of Lahore was recorded at 504, while within the city the pollution level in Cantt was recorded at 644, 587 on The Mall Road and 570 in Gulberg, raising alarm bells among the authorities.
