F-9 park grid station: IESCO gets approvals, but question mark still hovers

SC verdict barring use of public parks for commercial activities may still create hurdle


Shahzad Anwar November 15, 2014

ISLAMABAD:


On the basis of an ‘all-clear’ environmental impact assessment (EIA), the Islamabad Electrical Supply Company (Iesco) has gotten approval from almost all departments to construct a 132KV grid station in Fatima Jinnah Park.


Iesco had hired Project Procurement International (PPI) Islamabad to assess the environmental impact of the project.

Officials at the Environment Protection Agency (EPA), while relying on the PPI assessment report, said that there was no harm in carrying out the project, as, according to them, the electricity needs of the city required new projects.

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has allocated 10-kanal of parkland to Iesco for the project.

Once constructed, an additional 25 megawatts (MW) of electricity will be added to the main transmission line, 16 MW of which will be diverted to Centaurus Mall, while the rest will be provided to Blue Area, and sectors F-8, F-9, G-8 and G-9. The CDA has already paid Rs270.725 million as construction costs to Iesco.



The site, along the bank of a seasonal stream, was approved by the CDA Board on August 7, 2010. Later, at the request of Iesco, the CDA Board on November 1, 2013 readjusted the site as part of it was unusable due to the stream.

Can’t touch this?

But at least one hitch remains — a 2011 verdict Supreme Court which clearly stated that public parks cannot be used for commercial activities.

The CDA says that the site has been carved out in such a way that it has bare minimum intervention in activities in the park. It further says that the site of the grid station does not count as a commercial activity and should be classified as a public welfare project.

The PPI report suggests that the Iesco would ensure that construction and operation of the project were in accordance with the recommendations of the EIA, and that the environmental management plan will be implemented and be made part of the agreement between Iesco and any prospective contractor taking up the project.

The PPI report says that the proposed project seeks to upgrade the secondary transmission and grid network of Iesco in Islamabad and provide the much needed relief to the existing over-loaded system supporting sectors F-8, F-9, F-10, G-8, and G-9. It would also help reduce line losses and power breakdowns.

It said that if the proposed project was not undertaken, Iesco will not be able to cope with increasing electricity demand in the future, as the existing system is overloaded.

According to the PPI report, the proposed site is essentially unkempt shrubbery, tall grass and around 90 trees, which will have to make way for the station.

The report also warns that construction activities could potentially cause soil erosion, landslides and slope instability, while inappropriate solid and liquid waste disposal could cause chemical contamination.

There will be short term noise pollution in the vicinity for the duration of the project, says the PPI report.  According to the report, construction activity such as excavation, leveling, filling and vehicular movement on unpaved tracks may also enhance dust emissions.  This is in addition to the added smoke and particulate output of transport and construction vehicles and activities.

EPA Director Ziaul Islam said that there was no harm in carrying out the project at the site as the EIA report did not suggests there would be any major adverse environmental impact from construction activity as long as proper procedures are followed.

CDA Spokesperson Asim Khichi claimed that the court has barred commercial activities in public parks, but the grid station was an amenity project aiming to provide relief to citizens, rather than a commercial activity.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 15th, 2014.

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