Illegal factories: Secretaries issued notices

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday sought replies from the Labour Department and Environment Protection Department secretaries to a petition seeking action against factories in residential areas. The petitioner, Shoaib Ahmad, submitted that countless factories were functioning in residential areas of the Punjab in violation of the law and with the support of the authorities concerned. He said that there was no check on the environmental conditions at these factories or on the implementation of labour laws. The petitioner asked the court to order the government to take action against all factories in residential localities and to set up a commission to investigate fatalities at them. Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah directed the respondents to submit their replies by March 1.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 24^th, 2013.