Margalla Hills National Park: Policymaking board to be constituted soon, says cabinet division

Petitioner says unless immediate steps taken, park will be rendered barren irreversibly.

ISLAMABAD: A representative of the cabinet division assured the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday that the federal government will constitute a board for the protection, conservation and management of the Margalla Hills National Park within four weeks.

Meanwhile, the court while expressing dissatisfaction over the explosives department’s inaction against violators directed an inspector to submit a report about the role, responsibilities and functions of the department within two weeks.

The directives came during the hearing of different petitions, clubbed together, about the miserable condition of the national park, causing its destruction and ultimate extinction of its flora, fauna and wildlife.

The explosives department inspector drew the court’s ire when he failed to give satisfactory answers to queries from the bench. To all the questions, he kept repeating that his department has written letters to the Punjab government and the district administration on the issue. To this, the court directed him to bring all the letters along with the report.

The cabinet division’s representative assured the court that a 13-member board will be constituted under Wildlife Management Board Rules.

On May 1, while expressing dissatisfaction over the failure of the authorities to constitute a board in the last 20 years, IHC judge Athar Minallah had ordered the government to set up the board for the protection, preservation, conservation and management of the national park.

One of the petitioners, Prof Zahid Baig Mirza, through his counsel Afzal Siddiqi, had approached the court complaining that the national park has been miserably neglected by, leading to its destruction and the threat of ultimate extinction of its flora and fauna among other things.

Mirza has cited the Capital Development Authority, ministries of Climate Change, Capital Administration and Development Division and others as respondents.

In his argument, Siddiqi said the CDA and the federal government have failed to perform their statutory functions, which continues to adversely affect Islamabad’s environment and climate.

He argued that the respondents have failed to appointment the requisite staff for the protection of the national park and to raise or provide sufficient funds for carrying out statutory purposes.

“The Margalla National Park serves as lungs for Islamabad. It helps check and combat pollution,” the petitioner said adding that it also maintains biodiversity and ecosystems.

“Due to the negligence of the respondents, the park is facing destruction and unless immediate steps are taken, it would be rendered barren and the consequences would be irreversible,” the petitioner argued.

“As no steps are being taken, destructive activities are taking place unchecked,” said the petitioner.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 8^th, 2015.