LHC bans trees cutting in Lahore

Restrains environment dept from issuing NOCs for projects involving tree-felling

LAHORE:

Lahore High Court’s (LHC) Justice Shahid Karim imposed bann over cutting trees in Lahore city observing legislation should be made declaring the cutting trees as serious nature offence.

The condition of the city is already bad owing to the smog so it could not be made worse by cutting trees, Justice Karim remarked.

The court also restrained the environment department from issuing NOCs for any project caused the loss of trees.

Justice Karim was hearing different petitions about how smog could be controlled, society could be made polluted free and ground-water could be protected from wastage.

Earlier proceedings

The court had directed the restaurants to keep them closed by 11pm in three days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) of the week while the markets will remain opened on Sunday.

Schools in the provincial capital had been directed to remain closed for three days in a week.

The government complying with the directions of LHC’s previous order notified that all public and private schools in district Lahore shall remain closed on every Friday and Saturday in addition to the weekly holiday on Sunday owing to aggravated condition of the smog.

Following the prevailing worst situation, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority had also issued a notification, announcing closure of private offices two days (Friday and Saturday) in a week in the province.

The order remained in force from December 7, 2022 to January 15, 2023. The notification had added that staffers may work from home during the said period.

It is pertinent to mention that the court had also increased fine to Rs2,00,000 from Rs50,000 over stubble burning across the province.

The registration of FIRs was not the only solution of stopping stubble burning, Justice Karim then had observed.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 11^th, 2023.