Thick clouds of smog are covering the plains of Punjab, including Lahore have severely restricted visibility affecting traffic flow, causing multiple motorway sections to close for all types of traffic, including M2 from Lahore to Kot Sarwar, Motorway M3 from Samundri to Darkhana, Motorway M4 from Pindi Bhattian to Abdul Hakim, and Motorway M11 from Lahore to Sialkot.
The air quality index (AQI) reading in Multan crossed the 2,000 mark on Friday morning and is still ranging from 1000 to 1500, which has raised alarm bells across the province, prompting the administration to double the restrictions and control the air quality.
Additionally, the Lahore High Court (LHC) ordered the commissioner of the Lahore division to ensure that all commercial activities are closed within the provincial capital and its peripheries at 8 pm for the next 15 days.
During a recent hearing on a plea filed against the Punjab government for not taking effective measures to combat smog, Justice Shahid Karim on Friday ordered all private offices to announce a work-from-home policy for two days and ordered markets to close at 8 pm.
However, the court also ordered the complete closure of markets on Sunday and directed officials to start a crackdown on smog-emitting vehicles.
LHC directed traffic police to immediately stop smoke-emitting vehicles and remarked that the dolphin police should also take action along with the traffic police.
Justice Karim also observed that an out-of-the-box solution would also include limiting the marriage functions as well as limiting the number of persons attending these functions.
The judge sought a report on the matter of smog on Nov 11.
Meanwhile, the Punjab government has issued a notification about the ban on public entry in public and amusement parks.
Green lockdown is already in place to bring down the pollution in smog hotspots in the province.