The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday came hard on the Punjab government when it failed to present latest figures of Air Quality Index (AQI) in the provincial metropolis and observed, "Life of citizens is being reduced and authorities have not been roused from slumber". Shiraz Zaka the Chief Justice LHC was hearing a petition moved by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's leader Walid Iqbal questioning the government's inefficiency to control the smog.
The CJ said the government should have made the measurement of the AQI public but it was unable to present the statistics before the court even. Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah even reminded an officer of the Environment Protection Department (EPD) that the authorities failed to take emergency action deal which the situation had needed indeed.
When asked, the EPD's officer told the court that six machines had been installed in Lahore to measure the AQI. He said it required declaration of health emergency if the AQI crossed the rating of 430. Barrister Sarah Bilal, amicus curie in the case, told the court that the smog had been causing health of the citizens. She said its effects on school going children were irreversible.
Referring to figures being circulated on social media, the chief justice observed that Pakistan had crossed the minimum international standards of air pollution and the authorities had not been sensitized to the dangers threatening the environment. The CJ said it appears that all working of the government was paper based only. The CJ adjourned further hearing for Tuesday (today) and summoned secretary environment along with the record of latest ratings of the AQI.
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