Islamabad: The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has informed the Supreme Court (SC) that it expects to reach an agreement by tomorrow (Saturday) with the Capital Development Authority (CDA) for making amendments to the civic agency’s zoning regulations, a news source reported.
The EPA official concerned gave this statement in response to the court’s remarks that illegal structures in Islamabad could be regularised by making revisions to the city’s master plan.
A two-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial, which recently heard the case with regard to encroachments in Bani Gala, also summoned progress report from the CDA on this matter.
As the proceedings progressed, Justice Bandial said that there had been numerous incidents of violations in the master plan due to a steady increase in encroachments in the capital city.
In response, the EPA director general (DG) said that the agency would decide, in consultation with the CDA, if educational institutes, hospitals and slums in the existing zones should be relocated. For this purpose, the authorities concerned have decided to seek input from the public, he added.
Furthermore, the CDA and the Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) submitted their reports with regard to the selection of a landfill site in the capital city. The CDA council briefed the court that the site selected for setting up sewage and wastewater treatment plants, and a portion of this land would be used for dumping waste.
The court then instructed the CDA to hand over the chosen site to the IMC. It also directed the Punjab additional advocate general to launch an environmental awareness campaign, and prescribed punishments to bar public from filling drains and streams with litter.
