Commission wants treatment plants in factories installed on priority
Members address garbage collection, disposal issues in Hyderabad
PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI:
The Supreme Court-mandated Judicial Commission on Water and Sanitation continued hearing the case involving installation of in-house treatment plants and septic tanks in factories operating in Port Qasim Authority (PQA).
Management representatives and owners of various factories, including Sigma and Nextra, appeared before the commission at the Sindh High Court.
The members censured the owners for negligence over the installation of treatment plants and demanded the management to determine a timeframe for their installation.
The owners told the commission that they were willing to install treatment plants at their factories provided they were given time. The commission considered their request and gave three months' time to the factories.
Responding to a question regarding the non-installation of treatment plants, a representative of Nextra claimed that the company's factory had not been operational for some time. However, the management would get treatment plants installed within six months, he said.
The commission considered the request and allowed a special concession of six-months to Nextra.
Judicial commission directs focal person to coordinate between agencies
The commission came down hard on the management of Hafeez Oil and Ghee Company for non-appearance of its owners at the hearing.
It directed the SSP to produce the company's owners at the next hearing, which is scheduled for tomorrow (Thursday).
The commission also expressed displeasure over the non-appearance of a flour mill's owner, Mushtaq Ahmed Shah, and issued a Rs50,000 bailable arrest warrant against him. The commission directed the authorities to produce Shah and the owners of Reliance Exzine Industry and Mandviwala Motors at the next hearing.
The commission granted Oil and Ghee Industry three months to install treatment plants and warned the owners of industrial units that their factories would be sealed in case they did not install the effluent treatment plants.
Pollution, filth repulses judicial commission
The court reissued reminder notices to M/S Terminal One Company, asking to expedite the process of installation of treatment plants.
The commission also addressed the issues surrounding garbage collection and disposal in Hyderabad, including problems relating to the Kachra Funds Industry.
The Hyderabad mayor was present at the hearing to detail the issues to the commission.
The Water and Sanitation Agency deputy commissioner, municipal commissioner, and Hyderabad cantonment chief executive officer were directed to present themselves in court on Friday to provide more details and explain the problems.
Earlier on Monday, the management of several PQA factories submitted separate undertakings to the commission in this regard.
The commission had heard the management of 32 industrial units in PQA. Justice (retd) Amir Hani Muslim, the commission's head, had directed the police to produce the owners of 15 other industries before the commission who had failed to appear on Monday's hearing.
For eight industries, the commission had directed a senior research officer of the Pakistan Council of Research on Water Resources, Dr Ghulam Murtaza, to determine whether they required the installation of treatment plants. The factories included Astro Plastic Industries, Tri Pack Films, Syed Hassan Javed furniture and kitchen utensils industry, Nasreen Jalil, Kompass Pakistan, APL Cargo and Freight Station, Izhar Building Material, Skill Glass and Sulemanjee Esmailjee and Sons. If the research officer concluded that they needed treatment plants, they would have to install them in two months.
Judicial commission comes down hard on KWSB
The judicial commission had also given two months to PQA to lay down sewerage lines in some areas of the industrial zones where factories had not been connected with the central drainage system.
The Supreme Court-mandated Judicial Commission on Water and Sanitation continued hearing the case involving installation of in-house treatment plants and septic tanks in factories operating in Port Qasim Authority (PQA).
Management representatives and owners of various factories, including Sigma and Nextra, appeared before the commission at the Sindh High Court.
The members censured the owners for negligence over the installation of treatment plants and demanded the management to determine a timeframe for their installation.
The owners told the commission that they were willing to install treatment plants at their factories provided they were given time. The commission considered their request and gave three months' time to the factories.
Responding to a question regarding the non-installation of treatment plants, a representative of Nextra claimed that the company's factory had not been operational for some time. However, the management would get treatment plants installed within six months, he said.
The commission considered the request and allowed a special concession of six-months to Nextra.
Judicial commission directs focal person to coordinate between agencies
The commission came down hard on the management of Hafeez Oil and Ghee Company for non-appearance of its owners at the hearing.
It directed the SSP to produce the company's owners at the next hearing, which is scheduled for tomorrow (Thursday).
The commission also expressed displeasure over the non-appearance of a flour mill's owner, Mushtaq Ahmed Shah, and issued a Rs50,000 bailable arrest warrant against him. The commission directed the authorities to produce Shah and the owners of Reliance Exzine Industry and Mandviwala Motors at the next hearing.
The commission granted Oil and Ghee Industry three months to install treatment plants and warned the owners of industrial units that their factories would be sealed in case they did not install the effluent treatment plants.
Pollution, filth repulses judicial commission
The court reissued reminder notices to M/S Terminal One Company, asking to expedite the process of installation of treatment plants.
The commission also addressed the issues surrounding garbage collection and disposal in Hyderabad, including problems relating to the Kachra Funds Industry.
The Hyderabad mayor was present at the hearing to detail the issues to the commission.
The Water and Sanitation Agency deputy commissioner, municipal commissioner, and Hyderabad cantonment chief executive officer were directed to present themselves in court on Friday to provide more details and explain the problems.
Earlier on Monday, the management of several PQA factories submitted separate undertakings to the commission in this regard.
The commission had heard the management of 32 industrial units in PQA. Justice (retd) Amir Hani Muslim, the commission's head, had directed the police to produce the owners of 15 other industries before the commission who had failed to appear on Monday's hearing.
For eight industries, the commission had directed a senior research officer of the Pakistan Council of Research on Water Resources, Dr Ghulam Murtaza, to determine whether they required the installation of treatment plants. The factories included Astro Plastic Industries, Tri Pack Films, Syed Hassan Javed furniture and kitchen utensils industry, Nasreen Jalil, Kompass Pakistan, APL Cargo and Freight Station, Izhar Building Material, Skill Glass and Sulemanjee Esmailjee and Sons. If the research officer concluded that they needed treatment plants, they would have to install them in two months.
Judicial commission comes down hard on KWSB
The judicial commission had also given two months to PQA to lay down sewerage lines in some areas of the industrial zones where factories had not been connected with the central drainage system.