LAHORE (The Thursday Times) — With Lahore’s air index passing 500 this week, one question is hanging over the city’s favourite smoky dinner: is your tikka place allowed to be open? Under Punjab’s smog rules, that now comes down to a suction hood.
The Punjab Environment Protection Agency has made working suction hoods and exhaust systems mandatory for restaurants doing barbecue, grilling and other smoke-producing cooking, calling them a legal requirement rather than an optional extra. Places without them face sealing.
How hard the crackdown has been
In one 24-hour sweep in September, night squads inspected more than 256 restaurants across Punjab and sealed more than 47. In Lahore, 27 of the 30 restaurants inspected were sealed and the other three received notices.
Having a hood is not enough on its own. One Lahore restaurant was sealed that month because its hood was installed but not working effectively, and another outlet had only its barbecue section sealed. Senior Punjab Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said hoods and ducts must be both installed and operating effectively.
The agency said enforcement would run by day and by night, and that it had a zero-tolerance policy. Its spokesperson said businesses polluting at night would also face legal action.
Why it matters this week
Lahore’s air quality index crossed 530 on Monday, and the Pakistan Air Quality Initiative forecasts fine-particle pollution climbing further by Wednesday. The government says it is acting against all major sources of pollution at once, from brick kilns and factories to plastic waste and restaurant smoke.
For diners, the practical upshot is simple. A working hood and duct above the grill is what inspectors are looking for.
