The Lahore High Court (LHC) has asked the government to implement two days weekly holiday
for public colleges, universities, and other educational institutions and all other institutions of
learning until the end of January next year in order to assist in reducing smog, according to Geo News.
The LHC also ordered that private-sector enterprises be forced to work two days from home. The
directions were delivered by LHC Justice Shahid Karim in a three-page judgment on requests
requesting the court’s intervention in addressing haze in the province. According to the decision, the
interim Punjab administration had “announced measures such as the closure of schools and colleges
on Saturdays,” in accordance with the court’s directions. The court did observe, however, that the
notification should not have been published in accordance with the terms of the Punjab Infectious
Diseases (Prevention and Control) Act, 2020. It also stated that the decision of the Lahore deputy
commissioner to issue the notification under the Punjab National Calamities (Prevention and Relief)
Act, 1958, should have been considered.
The court argued that the 1958 statute was appropriate and may be used to “restrict public
movements and close and shut down schools and colleges.” “It is therefore directed that any such
notification, whether issued by the Secretary, Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department,
Government of Punjab, or by the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Lahore, be issued in
consultation with the Commission’s Members.” It is also directed that the notification include at
least the weekly holiday of public schools, colleges, and universities, as well as all educational institutions,
on each Saturday until the end of January 2024,” according to the decree.
The court also decided that private sector enterprises be required to work two days from home and
that gyms be excluded from the notification since they constituted a “continuation of COVID-19
restrictions.”
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