EPD issues notices to 19 buildings in Lahore

The buildings include restaurants, schools, hospitals and showrooms.

LAHORE: The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) on Thursday issued notices to 19 buildings for being built without the clearance from department’s Initial Environment Examination (IEE).

The buildings, that were issued notices under Section 12 of the Punjab Environment Protection Act 2012, include restaurants, schools, hospitals and showrooms.

EPD Deputy Director Younas Zahid said that the buildings were set up without providing the department any plan for sewerage disposal, ventilation, emergency escapes or safe wiring.

Clarifying that they had acted independently rather than on oders from higher officials, Zahid stated that Section 6 (m) of the Punjab Local Government Ordinance (PLGO) permits the EPD district officers to take action against environment violation unilaterally.

The EPD official said many buildings across Lahore have been built in violation of the IEE/EIA Regulations 2000 and Section 12 of Pakistan Environment Protection Act (PEPA) 1997.

The PEPA Section 12 states that no one can start an operation without the approval of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and requires building owners to pay Rs15,000 to the EPD to conduct the IEE and ensure that no conditions of the IEE are violated during the construction.

In case work begins without an IEE certification, the building owners may be fined up to Rs5 million by the environment tribunal.

The owners of the 19 buildings have been given two weeks time to submit reply to the Director General EPD.

Responding to a query about buildings constructed before 1997, Zahid stressed that those owners are expected to update their equipments and make sure their buildings comply with IEE conditions.

"Ignorance of law is no excuse," he said.