Expressway expansion: Senators reprimand CDA officials for trampling law

Seek report on inquiry against former EPA director-general, shifting of industrial units from I-9, 1-10 sectors

ISLAMABAD:

A parliamentary panel on Thursday reprimanded the capital’s civic managers and the environmental watchdog for violating laws and failing to curb pollution in the city.

The Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change which met here at the parliament building took serious note of the ongoing work on the Islamabad Expressway expansion project and cutting down of thousands of trees. The committee asked the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to stop work on the project, and take no-objection certificate from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

“How can we ask private organisations to stop environmental degradation when a government department itself is committing what is illegal and is violating environmental laws,” Nehal Hashmi, a ruling party senator remarked.

“We will not allow any organisation to trample laws and inflict colossal damage on environment,” he said, while referring to the expressway expansion work started by the CDA without getting clearance from the EPA.

The committee meeting, presided over by Senator Mir Yousaf Badini, was attended by Sitara Ayaz, Gul Bashra, Nehal Hashmi, Ahmed Hassan and Samina Abid.

The CDA officials informed the committee that keeping in view the environmental concerns a lane of the expressway had been excluded from the original expansion plan.

They said that the civic agency planned to plant more than 23,000 saplings along the highway.

The committee was informed about pollution in the industrial areas. The senators will visit industrial areas and take stock of the situation.

The committee also asked the city administration to shift the industrial units from the residential areas and asked the EPA to send environmental-impact report on industrial units in I-9 and I-10 to the Climate Change Ministry.

The committee recommended that amendments to the Environmental Protection Act be made to empower the Pak-EPA to take action against polluters.

The committee sought report on the inquiries regarding financial embezzlement and charges misuse of authority against the former director-general of the EPA, Dr Khursheed Ahmed.

Provincial issues

The committee directed the provincial governments to include the subject of climate change in the curriculum from grade two onwards to create awareness among the children about environmental issues.

The committee in this regard asked the Climate Change Ministry Secretary, Arif Ahmed Khan to write a letter to the chief secretaries of all the provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B), Azad Kashmir and Fata and also ask them to engage local elected representatives to create awareness among the masses about climate change.

In those areas where the local government elections were yet to be held, he said the candidates should be involved to highlight effects of environmental degradation in their election campaigns.

The committee suggested that PTV and all private channels be asked through Pemra to allocate at least one hour a day for programmes on effects of climate change and create awareness about the issue.

The secretary briefed the committee about the ministry’s working and the National Climate Change Policy that was approved in 2012 followed by framework for its implementation, which was sent to the provinces with 700 recommendations.

A committee was also formed to oversee its implementation.

“Only Sindh, G-B and Punjab have formed implementation bodies,” Khan said.

He said unprecedented events could happen, if the guidelines given in the policy were not followed.

Khan said during the current season, around five heat waves were recorded in the country, which was unprecedented.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 4^th, 2015.