The Abbottabad Bench of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) has issued a landmark 31-page judgment, declaring the stone crushing plants on Thandiani Road and Taxila illegal and ordering their permanent closure.
In its detailed verdict, PHC noted that the NOCs (No Objection Certificates) obtained by the stone crushing plant operators from various government officials held no legal validity.
Previously, the Environmental Protection Tribunal, which holds monthly sessions at the Sessions Court Building in Abbottabad, had also ordered the closure of these stone crushing plants for damaging the environment and air quality. However, the plant owners managed to continue their operations by appeasing the police and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Challenging the Environmental Tribunal's decision, the stone crushing plant owners filed writ petitions at the Abbottabad Bench of PHC through their lawyers, including Nasir Aslam and Zafar Iqbal. PHC rejected these petitions and ordered the permanent closure of all stone crushing plants causing environmental harm near residential areas.
This public-interest historic ruling was achieved largely through the efforts of young lawyer Hashim Iqbal Khan Jadoon, who was educated and trained in Canada.
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