CDA chief, 2 federal secretaries sent contempt notices

IHC directs them to file responses on failing to eliminate environmental pollution

ISLAMABAD: Two federal secretaries and the head of the apex civic agency of the federal capital were issued contempt of court notices on Friday for failing to implement the recommendations of a commission set up to eliminate environmental pollution in the federal capital.

The notices were issued by a single-member bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), comprising Chief Justice Athar Minallah, directing the secretaries of interior, climate change and the Capital Development Authority (CDA), to appear in person or send their representatives at the next hearing of the case with a justification as to why contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against them.

The notice states the court had ordered the federal government and CDA to implement its decisions from July 9, 2018, regarding environmental pollution in the federal capital. The decision had ordered the authorities to activate environmental tribunals within 90 days (by October 2018).

The government was further advised to implement the recommendations of an environmental commission which had been established in 2015.

However, the federal government failed to take action.

In 2018, the court had then appointed Dr Pervez Hassan - who had previously headed the environmental commission - as the chairman of a committee tasked with implementing the recommendations of the commission - which included among other environmental experts and civil society representatives, Federal Planning Minister Asad Umar.

The court observed that the federal government had failed to implement the court's decision to control environmental pollution in the federal capital.

Further in its April 2018 verdict, a three-member bench of the IHC, comprising Chief Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani, had directed the government to eliminate environmental pollution in Islamabad.

The government was told to set up a commission consisting of internationally renowned professionals and expert town planners, environmental management and finance within six months (by October 2018) to review the efficacy of the existing master plan of the city.

The commission was supposed to determine its terms of references (TORs) and subsequently offer suggestions to the government on fixing the city’s environmental landscape.

Further, the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) chief commissioner had been directed to ensure that no building deviates from the recommendations of the commission within the limits of the federal capital.

The court further directed to immediately implement the commission’s recommendations, furnished in October 2015.

It had further deemed the construction of illegal buildings in the federal capital a risk for the city’s environment.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 30^th, 2020.