No Noc: 19 issued notices for not getting EPD approval

LAHORE:

The Environment Protection Department on Thursday issued notices to owners of 19 buildings – restaurants, schools, hospitals and showrooms – as part of its drive against commercial buildings, established without an initial environment examination (IEE).

The campaign began on Wednesday.

The notices were issued for violating Section 12 of the Punjab Environment Protection Act 2012. The section states: “No proponent of a project shall commence construction or operation unless he has filed with the [Provincial Agency] an initial environmental examination or where the project is likely to cause an adverse environmental effect, an environmental impact assessment, and has obtained from the [Provincial Agency] approval...”

In case of starting work without an IEE, a proponent may be fined up to five million rupees by the environment tribunal.

Younas Zahid, deputy director (environment), said that the buildings had been built without submitting plans – for sewerage disposal, ventilation, emergency escapes and safe wiring – to the EPD.

The building owners have been given two weeks to submit their replies to the DG (environment).The drive, Zahid said, will gain force once the EPD inspectors are done with the anti-dengue campaign on October 15.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 5^th, 2012.