Report on environmental enforcement sought

The Deputy Commissioner's Office has sought an initial report from the Environment Protection Department (EPD) regarding alleged violations of rules and procedures in the issuance of notices and sealing orders against industrial establishments. An officer told media persons that complaints that had been taken up.concerned the manner in which notices were issued and units were sealed over environmental violations. He said that under the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997, an industrial establishment was required to be served a seven-day notice, allowing its owner an opportunity to rectify the situation. If the owner failed to comply, the establishment could subsequently be sealed and remain closed until the violations were addressed in accordance with the law. However, sources said it had been alleged that the procedure had not been followed in some cases. They alleged that notices purportedly issued to certain mills were not entered in the official dispatch register. The officer said an initial report had been sought from the EPD to establish the facts and determine whether the staff had violated the rules. The officer said a thorough examination of the record would help establish whether any irregularities had occurred. He added that a citizen, Mudassar Farooq, had submitted an application against EPD officials, alleging non-compliance with laws and procedures. A local human rights lawyer, Aftab Shahzad Jora, alleged that some officials were taking action against industrial units under the anti-smog campaign even when certain premises had already been affected by closures caused by inflation and economic pressures. Meanwhile, Labour Quomi Movement Chairman Baba Latif Ansari expressed concerns over the alleged burning of municipal and industrial waste in boilers operated by seasonal industries. He alleged that waste collectors gathered used diapers, shoes, leather, clothes and other waste during the day and transported it in loader rickshaws to boilers after 9:00pm. He claimed that around 35 boilers were operating in Dhandhra and residents were facing respiratory, skin and other health problems. Ansari alleged that some boilers were operated at night and shut during the day to avoid detection.