Daily Times

LAHORE: Inaction against industrial units polluting the environment has caused a loss of Rs 50 million to the national exchequer, Daily Times has learnt reliably.

According to a letter, a copy of which is available with Daily Times, written by Punjab Environment Protection Department (EPD) Deputy Director Javed Iqbal to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), hundreds of environmental protection orders (EPO) were issued to industrial units in Punjab to curb pollution in the year 2011-2014. Later, as per official procedure, the EPOs were sent to EPD Director Legal Nawaz Manik for prosecution as per the Punjab Environment Protection Act 1997, but he never pursued the cases.

The letter mentioned that the reason behind that “willful negligence” of Manik was millions of rupees, which he had received from the industrial units and claimed that the negligence was made with the consent of the EPD Director General Asif Iqbal. “Both officers had returned the files to the respective districts without prosecution, which was illegal because once an EPO is issued and its non-compliance is reported, even the EPD DG cannot rescind it and the only course is to file a complaint for prosecution, the letter reads.

The letter held Manik responsible for causing a huge loss to the exchequer, which would have been received in the form of fine imposed on those industrial units by the environment tribunal.

“It is estimated, keeping in view the historic record, that a minimum of Rs 50 million would have been deposited to the public exchequer. This also caused huge loss to public exchequer in terms of the resources spent in processing the case and issuance of EPOs,” the letter added.

Another complaint against the alleged corruption by the EPD director general and the director legal was sent to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) by EPD Deputy Director Javed Iqbal, sources said.

They told Daily Times that the anti-corruption watchdog had forwarded the complaint to the Chief Minister Inspection Team (CMIT) for further inquiry into the matter.

The main respondent in the complaint was the director legal but due to departmental politics the EPD director general was also made part of the complaint despite the fact that he assumed the charge in 2017 and the cases in which he had been accused originated in 2011-14.

Sources said that EPD Deputy Director Javed Iqbal had developed a tussle with the director general and that was why he had nominated him in the case whereas only the director legal was solely involved in corruption and was heavily bribed by industrial units to overlook their flaws and irregularities.

Sources added that the NAB had referred the case to CMIT and a letter was written to the EPD secretary by CMIT to submit relevant record for further inquiry.

Talking to Daily Times, EPD Deputy Director Javed Iqbal said, “After exposing alleged graft in the agency, the EPD director general became vindictive and issued an order on June 11, 2018, surrendering my services with immediate effect and ordering me to report to the EPD secretary.

“As per the law, the DG has no authority to issue such an order as the competent authority for such matters is the EPD secretary,” he said.

“On the same day Punjab EPA DG and Nawaz Manik lodged a FIR under section 409 at Gulberg Police Station against me and another EPA Director Tauqeer Ahmed Qureshi. The Gulberg police arrested Taqueer Ahmed Qureshi on June 12, 2018 and detained him for more than six hours. All that I have mentioned in the complaint is true and now I am being threatened for which I need protection.”

According to a copy of FIR available with Daily Times, “Javed Iqbal deputy Director is an ill-famed person having criminal record of blackmailing and corrupt practices. He has stolen the official documents from the case files, which were objected by the prosecution team and were returned to relevant district officers.”

When contacted, EPD DG Asif Iqbal said: “Javed Iqbal had stolen the official record illegally and misused them for blackmailing and defaming the EPA. He was also taking bribe while discharging his duties by blackmailing his colleagues. He had produced a false content and sent it to NAB DG with his signatures and affidavit for the purpose of blackmailing.”

Asif Iqbal added that he was unfazed by the complaint, saying people were trying to defame him by making him part of the departmental politics.

Published in Daily Times, June 15^th 2018.