Stop stone crushing at Margala Hills: SC

Top court takes strong exception to sanitation, water and environmental issues of capital

ISLAMABAD: The apex court has ordered the immediate halt of the stone crushing process at Margalla Hills as it heard the suo motu case pertaining environmental pollution in Sector I-9 Industrial Area.

The court directed the National Industrial Relations Commission (NIRC) to wind up all pending CDA tribunal cases and submit a report within two weeks. NIRC director was ordered to dispose of all transfer cases against CDA officials and submit a report on it in six months.

A three-member bench of the Supreme Court (SC) headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed comprising Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah heard the case on Thursday. The Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman Amer Ali Ahmed and Islamabad Municipal Corporation (IMC) Mayor Sheikh Anser Aziz attended the proceeding.

During the hearing, the CDA chairman informed the court they wanted to develop Kashmir Highway but they did not have funds. He added that construction of an interchange in Sector G-8 was underway while another one would be constructed in Sector F-7.

Chief justice identified insufficient trees on Kashmir Highway to which Ahmed responded that they were carrying out plantation along the related road.

Regarding transfer of employees, the court remarked that the authority holds no control over its employees, adding that the clerks were more powerful than the chairman himself.

CDA chairman who is also the chief commissioner of Islamabad complained that whoever he transfers returns the next day with a stay order. He opposed NIRC’s role in the transfers. Contending this, Ahmed said that suspension made no difference to the corrupt mafia. “We are referring to the cases of corrupt officials to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).”

Unplanned expansion

Chief Justice Gulzar inquired why Islamabad was being expanded so much, asking whether the whole city would be transformed into an economic zone.

The court remarked that it was ready to repeal all stay orders. It further asked if the establishment of an industrial zone was included in the master-plan.

The CDA chairman replied that only six of 12 existing steel mills in the federal capital were operational. At this, chief justice once again urged for not running industries which caused pollution. He warned the CDA that the results of its measures must be visible. “Beside impressive English, there was nothing in the CDA reports,” the chief justice remarked and added that it wanted the local economy to flourish, but at the cost of environment.

CDA chairman assured that they would work in light of the court’s orders. At this, the court stated that the authority must do its own work without seeking SC’s directions.

Sanitation and water

The court stated that the high-end commercial and trade hub of the capital, Blue Area, was strewn with garbage while a service road has been encroached by a plaza owner. Countering this, the Islamabad mayor said that the plot adjacent to the Centaraus Mall had been converted into a car parking.

The bench asked the mayor to satisfy them on the matter and asked him to prove through the master plan that the land was allocated for parking. Aziz said that the related plot has been leased for a year. CDA chairman pointed out dwindling water supplies to Islamabad and maintained that Islamabad received its water supply from Khanpur Dam.

Chief Justice Gulzar inquired whether CDA or IMC was doing anything to conserve water, adding that what was done to the water that streamed down from Margalla Hills.

CDA Chairman Ahmed said that it helped to keep land fertile, adding that they had sufficient funds for the conservation of water. However, he identified that 25 per cent of water coming from the Rawal Dam was wasted in the initial phase.

The court remarked that water could be conserved in canals but unfortunately, all of them were filled with garbage. They all are in a condition that nobody would like to go close to them, it added.

Chief Justice lamented that people lived in big houses but they did not care about the environment and dump garbage openly. He told CDA chairman and IMC mayor that keeping the city clean was their job and further suggested they develop a standard. There should be places to sit and walk in Islamabad, the court remarked.

The court stated that CDA chairman and IMC mayor had assured of taking measures to make Islamabad pollution-free along with the implementation of environmental laws in Sector I-9 Industrial Area. Chief Justice Gulzar said that CDA chairman has further assured of building pedestrian bridges and public toilets after the monsoon season.

The court stated that powerless local bodies was a violation of the constitution and summoned the Interior secretary in the next hearing. The court further directed to stop the crushing process at Margalla Hills immediately and adjourned hearing for a month. 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 6^th, 2020.