Nuclear power plants: SHC extends stay order on construction
The petitioners claim that the work was being carried out without adherence to environmental laws
KARACHI:
The Sindh High Court on Thursday extended till December 22 its interim order barring the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) from carrying out work on two nuclear power plants in Karachi without adhering to environmental laws.
Headed by Chief Justice Maqbool Baqar, the division bench was hearing a petition filed by Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy and others, who had approached the court challenging the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report by the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) that approved the establishment of the plants.
The petitioners’ lawyer had asserted that the safety precautions to be adopted by the authorities were still unclear, which was a matter of concern given the threat posed by the reactors to the people of Karachi. He further argued that the EIA report had been issued without complying with the provisions laid out in the environmental laws, since no public hearing had been held regarding the suitability of the site.
However, Anwar Mansoor Khan, the counsel for PAEC, submitted that the commission was exempted from holding public hearings regarding the site under Section 12(3) of the Environmental Protection Act of 1997. He said that the selected location was in close proximity to the existing nuclear power plant, adding that a new site had not been picked for the planned plants.
Khan claimed that other countries were also using ACP-1000 nuclear reactors to generate electricity. He further said that the PAEC could not place certain facts on record due to the sensitivity of the project and for strategic reasons.
According to Khan, the work had only commenced after adherence to all technical and legal prerequisites. He pleaded to the court to vacate its stay order, saying that the order was causing massive financial losses to the PAEC.
The bench adjourned the hearing after Khan concluded his arguments, asking the petitioners’ lawyer to make his case at the next hearing.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 19th, 2014.
The Sindh High Court on Thursday extended till December 22 its interim order barring the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) from carrying out work on two nuclear power plants in Karachi without adhering to environmental laws.
Headed by Chief Justice Maqbool Baqar, the division bench was hearing a petition filed by Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy and others, who had approached the court challenging the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report by the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) that approved the establishment of the plants.
The petitioners’ lawyer had asserted that the safety precautions to be adopted by the authorities were still unclear, which was a matter of concern given the threat posed by the reactors to the people of Karachi. He further argued that the EIA report had been issued without complying with the provisions laid out in the environmental laws, since no public hearing had been held regarding the suitability of the site.
However, Anwar Mansoor Khan, the counsel for PAEC, submitted that the commission was exempted from holding public hearings regarding the site under Section 12(3) of the Environmental Protection Act of 1997. He said that the selected location was in close proximity to the existing nuclear power plant, adding that a new site had not been picked for the planned plants.
Khan claimed that other countries were also using ACP-1000 nuclear reactors to generate electricity. He further said that the PAEC could not place certain facts on record due to the sensitivity of the project and for strategic reasons.
According to Khan, the work had only commenced after adherence to all technical and legal prerequisites. He pleaded to the court to vacate its stay order, saying that the order was causing massive financial losses to the PAEC.
The bench adjourned the hearing after Khan concluded his arguments, asking the petitioners’ lawyer to make his case at the next hearing.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 19th, 2014.