KARACHI, March 28: The government has not yet appointed a technical person the director-general of the Sindh Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), the executive arm that has to implement environment-related laws in the province, it is reliably learnt.
The sources said the government time and again said it was serious about implementing environment-related rules and laws, but the non-appointment of a technically- qualified person to head the agency, since it was established nearly a decade and half back, proved that the government did not mean what it said.
Sindh in general, and Karachi in particular, is the biggest industrial centre of the country where thousands of industries are operating but hardly any of these has an efficient treatment plant, which can handle secondary treatment of effluents and emissions, etc.
The high-profile post of the director-general is sought after by government officials as it offers a large number of overseas trips, usually in Europe, the Americas, Australia, for training, exposure, meetings, seminars, etc.
The rules require that director-general should be a technically-qualified person. The qualifications required for the post are PhD in environmental engineering from a recognized university with seven years’ experience in research/management projects dealing with pollution control practices relating to air, noise, water, solid waste and hazardous wastes.
Or a post-graduate degree in environmental engineering at least second division from a recognized university having at least 10 years’ experience in research/management projects dealing with pollution control practices relating to air, noise, water, solid and hazardous wastes.
The sources said though it was clearly mentioned in the rules that the director-general should have an advanced degree — doctorate or post-graduate — in environmental engineering, not a single SEPA director-general so far had had that required qualification.
SEPA’s first director-general, Mahfooz Mustafa, was a cloth merchant and he bagged the coveted post due to his friendship with political bosses of the country at that time.
The next to get this post was an architect, Tanveer Akhtar Jafri. He had served in the KDA’s planning department and also in the kachchi abadis department.
Next to get the post was Mahtab Akber Rashdi, a teacher by profession. She has degrees in political science and international relations. She had been associated with Sindh University before joining the Sindh government. At present she heads the provincial information department.
She was followed by Brig Akhtar Zamin (retd), who also did not have the required qualifications. After serving some time as the DG SEPA, he became secretary to the governor — a post he still holds. He had also kept the SEPA posting as an additional post for some time.
Next to come was Syed Naseem Haider, an official of the Provincial Civil Service. He had an arts degree and had nothing to do with environment protection.
Then for some time the additional charge of SEPA director-general was given to Sindh environment secretary Shamsul Haq Memon, who also does not have any environment-related education and has a degree in zoology.
The present incumbent, Shafique Ahmed Khoso, is also a provincial civil service official and has served as deputy commissioner, director in the excise and taxation department, etc and has an arts degree - that has nothing to do with environment.
The sources said the federal minister a few days back in a meeting said if the laws pertaining to protection of environment were not strictly implemented, the country’s exports would be seriously affected.
The government had entered into international agreements that needed production and manufacture in an environmental-friendly process, so exports would be adversely affected if laws relating to environment protection were not implemented.
They said unless a technically- qualified person was not appointed to the top post in SEPA, who could provide guidance to the lower staff, the laws could not be implemented effectively.
