Published on: August 29, 2025 1:51 AM
Holidays have been declared in colleges in flood-affected areas of Lahore division.
Director of Colleges Ahsan Mukhtar on Thursday announced the closure of 16 colleges. According to a letter issued in this regard, it has been announced that 16 colleges in the affected areas will remain closed on August 29 and 30. Colleges in Shahdara, Chuhng, Bund Road, Sharqpur Sharif, Ferozwala, Khanqa Dogran and Narang Mandi will remain closed.
In addition, two-day holidays have been declared in colleges in Mandi Faizabad and Syed Wala areas of Nankana Sahib. Colleges in Kanganpur area of Kasur will also remain closed. Electricity in all colleges should also be turned off immediately.
Separately, the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) has decided to postpone the exams keeping in mind the flood situation across the province and country.
Spokesperson Deputy Director Syed Kazim Muqaddas Kazmi said that the decision to postpone the exams was taken in a meeting chaired by Chairman PPSC Lieutenant General (retd) Muhammad Abdul Aziz. Secretary PPSC Afzal Ahmed attended the meeting, Member Exam Mirza Sohail Amir and Incharge Examination Rana Rahat Amin also attended.
Syed Kazim Muqaddas Kazmi said that the new dates of the exams will be announced later, candidates will be informed about the new dates through SMS, email and website.
He said that candidates from different areas across Punjab were to appear in the exams, the decision was taken keeping in mind the difficulties of the candidates due to the flood situation.
The spokesperson further informed that the exams were to be held on August 30 and 31, and more than 8,000 candidates were to appear for 434 posts. The postponed exams include Inspector Legal (Specialist Cadre) Punjab Police and other posts.
Meanwhile, the Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) has issued a health emergency alert for all private hospitals across the province in view of the ongoing flood crisis, directing them to allocate 35 per cent of their bed capacity for flood-affected patients and provide free treatment.
According to a circular issued on Thursday, the Commission instructed hospitals to ensure uninterrupted medical services, keep emergency departments, ICUs, and high-dependency units functional round the clock, and maintain the continuous availability of medicines, blood products, vaccines, IV fluids, surgical disposables, medical devices, and gases.
The directive further emphasized that hospitals must strictly follow triage protocols to prioritize patients, keep operation theaters fully functional, and ensure biomedical machines remain operational. Medical, nursing, paramedical, and administrative staff have been ordered to stay on duty at all times to handle the expected influx of patients.
Hospitals have also been advised to safeguard medical supplies and records by shifting them to elevated areas, maintain backup power sources, and install flood barriers and water pumps at critical points. Special monitoring has been recommended to prevent outbreaks of waterborne diseases.
The PHC further directed hospitals to prepare evacuation plans for immediate transfer of patients in case of structural risks, ensuring coordination with nearby safe hospitals or temporary medical centers.
The Commission has warned that non-compliance with these directives will result in strict disciplinary action.
