Daily Times

LAHORE: The smog commission, constituted by Chief Justice of Lahore High Court Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, will meet on January 5 to look into the causes of smog and also to implement the environmental laws to prevent the effects of smog/air pollution.

The commission is headed by Dr Pervez Hassan and other members include, advocate Sheraz Zaka, Environment Secretary Saif Anjum, office bearer nominated by president Lahore High Court Bar Association Barrister Sarah Belal, Health Secretary Najam Shah and additional advocate general Anwar Hussain.

The commission will present a report on January 18 about the progress made by Punjab government on the implementation of environmental laws to overcome smog and its deleterious effects.

The chief justice had constituted the commission while hearing petitions of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Lahore president Walid Iqbal and others.

Petitioner’s counsel Sheraz Zaka had said that in 1952, smog was faced by the city of London. “Thereafter, they implemented environmental laws. In 1956, they implemented clean air act. In order to curb air and noise pollution, former British PM Thatcher had shut off coal industry in entire Britain,” he said. He said that in Pakistan, the reason behind smog was the lack of enforcement of environmental laws and dysfunctional central laboratory in Lahore. He said that the government had not taken any adequate awareness measures amongst the public.

He said that the Punjab environmental protection agency had failed to perform its statutory obligations and enforce pollution charge rules and the federal government was flouting its international obligations under Paris Agreement 2015. He said that even EPA testing laboratory was not functioning.

He said that the provincial government and Environmental Protection Agency should be asked whether the industrial activity taking place in the city was being scrutinised under Pollution Charge Rules 2001 or not.

Published in Daily Times, December 5th 2017.