Islamabad: The Supreme Court has issued orders putting a halt to all stone crushing process in the Margalla Hills, a news source reported. The court passed these directives while hearing a suo motu case on environmental pollution in the Sector I-9 – Industrial Area.
A three-member bench of the SC including Chief Justice (CJ)
Gulzar Ahmed, Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan, and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah heard the case.
The court panel shared its concern over the excessive expansion of Islamabad.
It asked the authorities concerned if the establishment of an industrial zone
was included in the Islamabad Master Plan.
On the other hand, the CJ asked to stop the industries causing a significant amount of pollution in the city from operating. In this regard, the court ordered the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to strictly implement its regulations so that results are visible. The CJ remarked that the court wanted the local economy to improve, but not at the cost of environment. In response, CDA Chairman Amer Ali Ahmed assured the judges that the civic body would work according to the court’s orders.
The SC bench noted that Islamabad’s Blue Area was strewn
with garbage. The bench stated that canals could conserve water for the city if
not filled with garbage.
The CJ has ordered the CDA Chairman and Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) Mayor to develop a standard for keeping the city clean — adding that there should be places for people to sit and paths for them to walk.
Meanwhile, the CJ also mentioned the insufficient number of
trees along the Kashmir Highway. To this, CDA Chairman Ahmed responded that a plantation
drive had been initiated on the said road in order to resolve the issue.
