KARACHI - Director General (DG) of Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), Naeem Ahmed Mughal has called the CEOs of K Electric, Lucky Cement, and Dewan Cement in separate personal hearings owing to their non-compliance with the environmental standards in their operational activities.
On the directives of spokesperson of Sindh government and advisor to CM Sindh on Law, Environment, Climate Change, and Coastal Development, SEPA has expedited its monitoring activities throughout the province to manage different types of pollution at their source, said a statement issued on Monday.
The notices-addressed separately to the three companies-said that the SEPA monitoring team directly observed that the huge amount of soot/smoke/visible emissions were being released by their stack/chimneys/facility and negatively affecting the nearby areas.
“It was also observed by the SEPA team that with regard to the handling of waste material and air emissions in the operational activities of their plants, insufficient measures for mitigating the pollution load were being taken which confirmed their violation of Sindh Environmental Protection Act 2014 (SEP Act 2014) and its Rules and Regulations made there-under,” said the notices.
It has also been explained in one of the subject notices that if SEPA finds an activity violating any provision of SEP Act 2014 and its subsidiary rules and regulations, then an opportunity of personal hearing is offered to such violator before furthering a legal action.
Therefore, heads of the three companies were directed to appear in person before DG SEPA on 21st October at different times to explain their position regarding their compliance with the SEP Act 2014. They were also directed to bring a copy of the environmental approval of SEPA–if any-which was issued previously to them related to their operational activities along with the report of compliance conditions, imposed in referred approval.
Notices also mentioned that in case of failure to appear on the stipulated date and time, further legal action should be initiated against them as per the referred environmental law.
