IWMB to move court against Khayaban-e-Margallah project

Islamabad : The Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) has decided that it would file an application in the court against the construction of Khayaban-e-Margallah in sheer violation of the environmental laws.

IWMB chairperson Rina Saeed Khan in her comments said “IWMB was not consulted and no approval was also given to the Khayaban-e-Margallah project by Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA)."

“An environmental protection order was given out a few days ago to stop construction on this project. Yet the machines continue to cut into protected Margallah Hills National Park (MHNP). So we have decided to move court against it,” she said.

The IWMB chairperson said, “A chunk of the national park is being destroyed by constructing a highway and intention to build a residential sector in C-15 and C-14 on the protected land.”

While highlighting the challenges being faced by the IWMB during a panel discussion on COP26 Ecosystem Restoration a few days back she stated that the IWMB is the legal custodian of the national park but there were numerous problems including encroachment, forest fires, and littering.

She said that it is extremely difficult to implement policies regarding the protection of natural ecosystem in protected MHNP.

As per the Master Plan, it starts from G.T. Road and after passing through various areas touches Constitution Avenue before moving towards Bari Imam to culminate on Murree Road at Bhara Kahu. Four residential sectors--C-13, C-14, C-15, and C-16--fall on this road that would be completed at the cost of Rs. 970 million.

The Pak-EPA has also ordered to immediately stop work on Khayaban-e-Margallah project and directed to follow environmental laws to avoid any legal action.

In its letter titled “Construction of Khayaban-e-Margallah” to Capital Development Authority (CDA) it directed to immediately stop all types of development activities and warned if orders were not followed then legal action would be taken under the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997.

The letter stated that it was a mandatory provision under law to secure the approval under Section 12 of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency Act, 1997 before the commencement of the project.

Former bureaucrat Roedad Khan who formed Margallah Hills Society also sent a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan and requested him to issue orders for stoppage of work at Khayaban-e-Margallah project.

In his letter he argued that the project was initiated before carrying out an environmental impact assessment (EIA), which was against the law.