Agriculture dept trails in smog prevention

Judicial commission says 665 of 5,000 thermal anomaly points visited

LAHORE:

The Judicial Water and Environmental Commission’s (JWEC) report has pointed out negligence, inefficiency and lack of commitment of the agriculture department in ensuring the ban on stubble burning.

The commission’s focal person submitted the follow-up report regarding directives issued to avoid smog on behalf of Chairman Justice (retd) Ali Akbar Qureshi before Lahore High Court’s Justice Shahid Karim. The court had taken up a petition for taking appropriate measures to control smog.

The JWEC highlighted that 5,000 thermal anomalies were detected by Suparco and reported to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority but the agriculture department visited only 665 points and lodged FIRs against 47 accused, which is insufficient.

The report stated that the commission had “directed that the deputy commissioner Lahore and all the relevant assistant commissioners will check all outskirts of Lahore throughout the day and throughout the smog season, which will end after early January. They will ensure that no stubble burning is done. It is further directed that the DC Lahore shall submit report after every two days, which will encompass the visit made by all the relevant ACs to all neighbouring villages and all outskirts of Lahore”.

It was pointed out to the commission that violation of the LHC order banning stubble burning had been identified in various areas surrounding the Motorway M2, especially Sukheki.

The JWEC said it had ordered “that the chief secretary Punjab shall ensure that the relevant DCs and ACs in whose jurisdiction the entire motorway passes will ensure that there is no stubble burning. In case stubble burning occurs, it is the responsibility of the relevant assistant commissioner to lodge FIR against the delinquents”.

The report pointed out that stubble burning contributes to the formation of smog, which is hazardous to human life and may cause more problems amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 23^rd, 2020.