Daily Times

The Supreme Court on Monday, while hearing a case pertaining to polluted water being dumped in River Ravi, sought a report from the Punjab government on the progress being made on the work on filtration of water.

A two-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar heard the case pertaining to River Ravi at the Supreme Court’s Lahore Registry.

Housing, Urban Development & Public Health Engineering Minister Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed appeared before the court. As the hearing went under way, the chief justice turned to the provincial minister and asked, “Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed Sahib, who is in power in Punjab?”

To this, the minister responded, “The provincial government is that of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Naya Pakistan.”

At this, CJP Mian Saqib Nisar remarked, “We do not know if Naya Pakistan is to be made or not. The whole city’s polluted water is being dumped in River Ravi. Until date, no work regarding water filtration has been done. Who has to do this work? All departments keep pointing fingers at each other. Water filtration work needs to be done on an emergency basis. Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed Sahib, do something. This is an important issue. Form a committee and submit a report within a week on the work being done for filtration of water.” Ordering that a report be submitted within one week, the court adjourned the hearing of the case.

Published in Daily Times, November 20^th 2018.