Closure of shops, wedding venues, and restaurants in Lahore due to smog-related violations.

Authorities have stepped up their enforcement of early market closures at 8 p.m. in Lahore to combat smog, sealing off dozens of stores, wedding venues, and eateries.

Information indicates that 14 restaurants were closed for disobeying the prohibition on outdoor dining, while 75 stores and a number of wedding venues were sealed throughout Lahore for failing to observe closing times.

Nine stores and three eateries were closed for infractions in Shalimar Tehsil, and four stores in City Tehsil were closed for remaining open over their hours.

Twelve stores were sealed by the authorities in Ravi Tehsil, and four eateries and four stores were shut down for non-compliance in Raiwind Tehsil.

Saddar Tehsil also saw five stores closed for violating closing time laws, while Cantonment Tehsil had three eateries and five stores blocked.

To combat the severe smog that is plaguing the city, the Lahore High Court (LHC) ordered on Friday that all markets must close by 8:00 PM every day and stay closed on Sundays.

While issuing the order, Justice Shahid Karim noted that despite numerous hearings and calls for action, there has been a lack of effective measures to combat smog. He stated that he didn’t want to provide directives that were practically impossible to carry out.

This ruling to close markets came after various government departments presented performance reports on their efforts to mitigate smog before Justice Karim. The court ordered officials to fully prohibit trucks and trailers from entering the city and to restrict vehicle access to the Ring Road and motorways.