http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\12\04\story_4-12-2008_pg11_1
CDA-Pak-EPA bickering ends: Work on Zero Point Interchange comes to a halt
* Authority to submit EIA report to environmental protection agency by January 15 for permission to resume project
By Atif Khan
ISLAMABAD: The ongoing bickering between Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) over construction of Zero Point Interchange ended on Wednesday when the former suspended the project and submitted an undertaking that an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report would be submitted to the latter by Jan 15 for its approval to resume the project.Minister for Environment Hameedullah Jan Afridi had directed the agency to suspend the project under Section 16 of Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997, Dec 01, after the CDA failed to submit EIA report to the agency.Sources in the CDA and Environment Ministry said that CDA Chairman Tariq Mehmood Khan contacted the high level authorities against the agency’s decision, however, when they asked Afridi about the suspension of the project, he told them that he was just trying to implement the law. The top leadership appreciated Afridi’s stance and asked him to implement the law.They said after failing to pressure the Pak-EPA to withdraw the suspension orders, the CDA chairman phoned Afridi and told him that he was “unaware of most of the technical things being inexperienced and new to the job”.They said the authority wrote a letter (CDA/PD/ZP/01/2008/EPA-70, dated Dec 03) to Pak-EPA stating that work on EIA had been undertaken and it would be submitted to the agency by Jan 15. However, the authority protested that the decision to suspend the project was unjustified and should be withdrawn with immediate effect.The sources said that taking strict action on the letter, Afridi directed the authority not to resume the project until submission of the EIA report.Afridi visits site: Hameedullah Afridi on Wednesday called a meeting with Member Environment, CDA, Mazhar Hussain during which he told him that the CDA was not allowed to resume work till submission of the EIA report. Hussain assured Afridi that work on the project had been suspended and would be resumed after submission of the EIA report.Later, Afridi visited the project site with Mazhar Hussain and Pak-EPA DG Asif Shuja Khan. Media persons were also present on this occasion.Hussain and a representative of the executing agency, Maqbool Associates, told Afridi that NESPAK had been hired to prepare the EIA report.A presentation was also given to the minister on the project. However, the minister expressed his dissatisfaction over the measures adopted by the CDA to secure the environment. He also asked Hussain about the measures to clean the 36 water channels running across the capital. The official told him that the authority was working on a project to clean the channels.Talking to the media persons on this occasion, Afridi said that pollution levels in the capital were very high. He said development projects at the cost of public health could not be allowed.He directed the CDA to ensure proper sprinkling of the site twice a day to minimize the level of dust particles in the air. He also directed the authority to plant more saplings to compensate for the loss the environment had suffered from the massive cutting of trees to clear way for the project.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\12\04\story_4-12-2008_pg11_1
* Authority to submit EIA report to environmental protection agency by January 15 for permission to resume project
By Atif Khan
ISLAMABAD: The ongoing bickering between Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) over construction of Zero Point Interchange ended on Wednesday when the former suspended the project and submitted an undertaking that an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report would be submitted to the latter by Jan 15 for its approval to resume the project.Minister for Environment Hameedullah Jan Afridi had directed the agency to suspend the project under Section 16 of Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997, Dec 01, after the CDA failed to submit EIA report to the agency.Sources in the CDA and Environment Ministry said that CDA Chairman Tariq Mehmood Khan contacted the high level authorities against the agency’s decision, however, when they asked Afridi about the suspension of the project, he told them that he was just trying to implement the law. The top leadership appreciated Afridi’s stance and asked him to implement the law.They said after failing to pressure the Pak-EPA to withdraw the suspension orders, the CDA chairman phoned Afridi and told him that he was “unaware of most of the technical things being inexperienced and new to the job”.They said the authority wrote a letter (CDA/PD/ZP/01/2008/EPA-70, dated Dec 03) to Pak-EPA stating that work on EIA had been undertaken and it would be submitted to the agency by Jan 15. However, the authority protested that the decision to suspend the project was unjustified and should be withdrawn with immediate effect.The sources said that taking strict action on the letter, Afridi directed the authority not to resume the project until submission of the EIA report.Afridi visits site: Hameedullah Afridi on Wednesday called a meeting with Member Environment, CDA, Mazhar Hussain during which he told him that the CDA was not allowed to resume work till submission of the EIA report. Hussain assured Afridi that work on the project had been suspended and would be resumed after submission of the EIA report.Later, Afridi visited the project site with Mazhar Hussain and Pak-EPA DG Asif Shuja Khan. Media persons were also present on this occasion.Hussain and a representative of the executing agency, Maqbool Associates, told Afridi that NESPAK had been hired to prepare the EIA report.A presentation was also given to the minister on the project. However, the minister expressed his dissatisfaction over the measures adopted by the CDA to secure the environment. He also asked Hussain about the measures to clean the 36 water channels running across the capital. The official told him that the authority was working on a project to clean the channels.Talking to the media persons on this occasion, Afridi said that pollution levels in the capital were very high. He said development projects at the cost of public health could not be allowed.He directed the CDA to ensure proper sprinkling of the site twice a day to minimize the level of dust particles in the air. He also directed the authority to plant more saplings to compensate for the loss the environment had suffered from the massive cutting of trees to clear way for the project.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\12\04\story_4-12-2008_pg11_1
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