Lahore: The Punjab Environment Department on Sunday decided to intensify action against major sources of air pollution as part of its pre-smog operation,with marriage halls operating without effective suction hoods also coming under scrutiny.
According to the Environment Department,no further relaxation would be granted to marriage halls that fail to install suction hoods after the expiry of the prescribed deadline.
Violating marriage halls would be shut down and sealed,besides being subjected to heavy fines,officials said.
They clarified that merely installing a suction hood would not be sufficient, as the equipment must be effective and fully functional.
Action would also be taken against marriage halls found using ineffective or non-functional suction hoods.
Director General(DG) Environment,Abdullah Nayyar Sheikh directed field officers to take strict action against marriage halls violating environmental regulations,saying such establishments would not be allowed to continue operations.
He said a zero-tolerance policy was being implemented to control smoke and polluting emissions from commercial kitchens.
According to the DG Environment,more than 500 restaurants had so far been sealed over violations related to suction hoods.
The Environment Department said action against other sources of air pollution would also continue as part of the pre-smog operation.