PHC issues notice to authorities in petition against pollution

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Friday issued a notice to the provincial and local governments and Cantonment Board, Peshawar in a writ petition filed against increasing pollution in the provincial capital.  A two-member green bench of the PHC, comprising Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Roohul Amin Khan, made the Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar (WSSP), secretary Transport and Mass Transit Department, director general Planning and Development Authority, deputy commissioner Peshawar and Cantonment Board as parties in the case and put them on notice to submit reply in the case.

The bench directed the respondents to submit their progress reports regarding elimination of pollution from the city and steps taken in this regard before next hearing of the case. During hearing of the case, Director General Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Dr Muhammad Bashir Khan appeared on behalf of the respondents and submitted that main  causes of pollution were vehicular emission, garbage, buildings and industrial waste in the city. However, he said that there were separate institutions responsible to overcome pollution. The court issued directions in a writ petition filed by Peshawar-based lawyers Ghulam Shoaib Jaaly and Hamad Hussain Yousafzai. The petitioners had sought directions from the court to give deadline to the government and the agencies concerned to take action on a war footing against all sorts of pollution.

During the hearing, Ghulam Shoaib Jaaly said it was revealed recently in the World Health Organisation (WHO) report that Peshawar is the sixth most polluted city out of 1,600 cities in the world. He said that Peshawar city had been polluted since long and different departments were set up from time to time by the provincial government to tackle it.

The petitioner argued that both the federal and provincial governments had spent billions of rupees for the protection of environment and created environmental protection agencies, departments and court and statutes.

He said that millions of rupees had also been spent on the publicity campaign of the provincial government, but the issue of pollution was increasing day by day.The petitioner requested the high court to direct the government and agencies to take stern action against pollution, provide timeframe in which they would be able to control pollution in Peshawar, provide the details of funds spent on anti-pollution campaigns and furnish the reasons for non-implementation of pollution control measures.