‘No emission hour’ goes by unnoticed

ISLAMABAD: The ‘no emission hour,’ which the Ministry of Environment had planned for June 5, was unsuccessful as the public remained unaware of it.

Traffic was seen on almost all major roads in Islamabad during the designated hour of noon to 1pm that had been set aside to celebrate World Environment Day.

Ziaul Islam, Director Pakistan Environmental Protection Council (PEPC), said Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) was responsible for keeping traffic off the road.

Islam added that perhaps the  plan was not well received by the public “because it was the first time such an activity was planned in the city.”

During the planned hour, ministry officials remained tied up in other events planned for the day and did not appear to take notice of the matter, he added.

Moeen Masood, Senior Superintendent ITP, acknowledged that the police had failed to discourage traffic during the hour. “We tried to discourage commuters but couldn’t do it on a large scale.”

But he added, “It was the Ministry of Environment’s responsibility to create awareness about this, which wasn’t done.”

Zia-ul-Islam denied that the ministry had done nothing to publicise the ‘no emission hour’ and said the public was informed through print and electronic media.

World Environment Day, first observed in 1973, is celebrated all over the world on June 5 every year.

The day is hosted by a different city every year. This year’s theme was ‘Many Species, One Planet One Future’ and the host city was Kigali in Rwanda.





Published in the Express Tribune, June, 2010.