LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Friday allowed to keep markets and shopping malls open on the occasion of Christmas until midnight.

The court passed this order hearing petitions related to environmental issues.

A lawyer representing the minority community requested the court to allow the opening of markets until midnight on Christmas.

The court permitted the markets to open on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at night until 12 am.

The court however expressed regret over the lack of collaboration with the Water and Sanitation Agencies (Wasa) of the Cantonment Board in sewerage system cleaning and directed to handed over the “Sans App” to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).

The court questioned the purpose of the road modeling program launched by the Traffic Engineering & Transport Planning Agency (Tepa) and suggested that work on it should start after the smog season.

The court observed that the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) should hire independent consultants for its projects.

The court noted that India and other countries were far ahead in environmentally friendly cars and technology and suggested to engage the students from UET and LUMS to promote the use of technology.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023