Notify rules of business for MCI in a week, SC tells govt

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) Monday directed the federal government to notify within a week, the rules of business, drafted by a committee, constituted by the Metropolitan Corporation of Islamabad (MCI), and submit the compliance report before it.

The court took strong exception to non-functioning of the local government (LG) system in the federal capital and observed that the government would not be allowed to interfere in the matters of people’s fundamental rights.

A five-member apex court larger bench, headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, and comprising Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankehl and Justice Muneeb Akhtar, heard the suo moto notice case regarding environmental pollution in Islamabad's Sector I-9 industrial area.

The court also dismissed petitions seeking permission for stone-crushing outside the jurisdiction of National Park at Margalla Hills with the observation that if crushing was allowed at one side, the whole Margalla Hills would be crushed.

In March, the court had banned on immediate basis, stone crushing at Margalla Hills and directed the government of Punjab as well as Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to take swift measures against stone crushing.

The court had also ordered for ensuring tree plantation at the areas affected from stone-crushing at Margalla Hills. It ordered for ensuring tree plantation on the roadsides of Express Highway as well as Kashmir Highway and also ordered for establishing a separate food authority for the federal capital Islamabad.

Later on, the stone-crushing companies filed an appeal requesting the court to permit stone-crushing outside the jurisdiction of National Park at Margalla Hills. At the outset of hearing on Monday, Advocate General Islamabad Capital City (ICT), law officers as well Aamir Ahmed Chief Commissioner Islamabad and acting chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA) appeared before the court.