‘Hefty fines imposed on those who don’t abide by steps taken to curb smog’

LAHORE: Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood on Saturday has held India responsible for the choking air pollution in the provincial capital.

In a presser, while replying to one of the questions the federal minister said that Lahore was facing a smog problem due to the stubble burning in India.

He added that hefty fines have been imposed against those who do not abide by steps taken by the government to curb smog.

Read more: LHC orders Punjab govt to run smog awareness campaign

Mahmood also drew attention to Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)’s challan that was submitted a few days ago against Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif and his sons for allegedly laundering billions in the sugar scam case.

The minister accused Shehbaz of money laundering by opening bank accounts in names of their low-paid employees.

Read more: FIA declares Shehbaz Sharif, his sons prime suspects in money-laundering scam

During the media interaction, Shafqat underscored the issues of mismanagement in Lahore and said that the government took steps to curb major issue of solid waste management in the metropolis.

Earlier on December 4, Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood had announced that the winter vacations for schools would start from December 25 till January 4.

Read more: Winter vacations to start from December 25, announces Shafqat Mahmood 

However, a day later, it was learnt that the NCOC had decided to shift winter vacations to January from December in all educational institutions across the country.

The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) announced that winter vacations in educational institutions will start from January 3, 2022, except in areas with extreme weather conditions or smog.

Read more: NCOC shifts winter vacations to January in educational institutions: sources

Federating units, continued the body which oversees the government’s pandemic response on Twitter, will issue notifications for the season’s holiday schedule accordingly.