THE Punjab Government on Tuesday said it was deliberating on a weekly holiday and work from home arrangement to counter smog in Lahore. According to a statement issued by the spokesperson of the provincial government, the proposal for implementing a ‘work from home’ arrangement for one day in educational institutions, government offices and markets would be implemented after approval of the cabinet which would also consider strategies and recommendations aimed at combating smog.
Smog, a type of severe air pollution, has increasingly become one of the major concerns of the people in some parts of the Punjab, especially Lahore, where the quality of air is already very poor. The problem assumes dangerous dimensions in winter with implications for the daily life, safety and security and health of the citizens. Experts argue that smog is a combination of numerous toxic effluents from industrial and residential activities which means we can overcome the challenge by changing our behaviour and adopting modern practices and technologies to check against the menace of environmental pollution. The problem has been there for several years but regrettably instead of identifying the factors responsible and taking urgent measures to address the deteriorating situation, we prefer going for window-dressing like holidays to inflict more harm to the economy. We have federal and provincial environment protection agencies and they should have been in the forefront to initiate corrective measures including environment friendly operations by industries. Similarly, the federal and provincial governments as well as civic bodies must show zero tolerance for any slackness in the proper disposal of waste on a daily basis and prompt repair and maintenance of streets and roads dug by different development agencies. The proposal to observe one weekly holiday for educational institutions and offices is ridiculous and one fails to understand how this would contribute towards the mitigation of woes of the people when they would be out for the rest of the six days for different reasons. Come out with a concrete solution instead of making the issue a justification for enjoying holidays in a country where work culture is already not enviable.
