LAHORE: The Punjab government has officially lifted the restrictions on opening hours for shops, markets, shopping malls, hotels, restaurants, and food outlets in Lahore and Multan on Friday.
The Director General of the Environmental Protection Agency Punjab, Dr Imran Hamid Sheikh, issued a formal notification announcing the immediate removal of time constraints for all markets in Punjab.
Hamid Shaikh said the ban on working hours under the Punjab Environmental Protection Act 1997 had been withdrawn because of the improvement in the recent Air Quality Index.
Moreover, he says that shops, shopping malls, hotels, restaurants, and food outlets can now remain open as usual without fixed hours.
This order will be implemented immediately and all concerned departments have been informed.
The Punjab government previously mandated the closure of markets and businesses in four districts Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, and Gujranwala by 8 PM, citing persistently hazardous air quality levels despite ongoing anti-smog measures.
With air pollution intensifying to critical levels, restrictions were extended to business operations and public gatherings in the affected districts.
