LHC orders schools to provide transport to students, sets smog control measures
Pakistan
Justice Shahid Karim heard the petition filed by Haroon Farooq and other residents
LAHORE (Web Desk) – The Lahore High Court (LHC) directed all schools to arrange transportation for students and demanded the development of a vehicle fitness policy within 15 days to combat the rising smog issue.
Justice Shahid Karim heard the petition filed by Haroon Farooq and other residents. The petition mandated that schools provide transport services after winter vacations. Non-compliance would lead to school closures. He stressed that schools must not shift this responsibility onto parents.
Justice Karim also instructed the transport department to design a vehicle fitness policy within two weeks and ensure quarterly inspections of vehicles, issuing fitness certificates accordingly. A comprehensive database of all public and private buses was also ordered.
A symbolic gesture during the hearing saw three-year-old Amal Sukhera, a petitioner advocating for a clean environment, inaugurate mobile units for vehicle fitness checks. The court adjourned the proceedings until Nov 26.
Read also: Lahore remains smoggy and world's second most polluted city
Schools in Lahore and Multan resumed on Wednesday following a week-long closure due to intense smog.
Punjab, particularly Lahore and Multan, has faced severe smog in recent weeks, with Multan's Air Quality Index (AQI) surpassing 2,000 twice, setting alarming pollution records. The Punjab government had earlier declared an emergency in Lahore and Multan, enforcing a weekend lockdown to reduce smog levels.
