Environment law: ‘Reporters must verify every fact in a report’

Former law devolved authority to legislate on environmental issues from the federal to the provincial level.

LAHORE:

The amendments to a draft provincial law proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency will empower the department to prevent high-risk pollution activities, said officials at a discussion about the Punjab Environmental Protection (Amendment) Bill 2012 on Tuesday.

Environmental and legal experts met at the EPD head office to discuss the new law which is to replace the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act of 1997 in light of the 18th Amendment, which devolved the authority to legislate on environmental issues from the federal to the provincial level, said an EPD press release.

Environment Secretary Saeed Wahla said the new law was aimed at making it easier to enforce orders for pollution control passed by the Punjab Environmental Protection Council (PEPC), the EPA, the government, environmental magistrates, the environmental tribunal and superior courts. Former sessions judge Chaudhry Ghulam Rasool, the chief guest, and other lawyers said they would add their suggestions to the amendments proposed by the EPA in a couple of days.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 23^rd, 2012.