02 October 2004	Saturday	16 Shaban 1425

KARACHI, Oct 1: The arrangements for week long campaign against noise and smoke emitting vehicles to be launched by Sindh Environment Protection Agency from Oct 2 were reviewed at a meeting , chaired by Secretary Environment and Alternative Energy Shamsul Haq Memon, held at EPA Complex on Thursday.

The secretary said that the objective of the proposed campaign was not to harass anyone, but to make people feel the importance of clean environment and to point out the leniency that contributed to environmental degradation.

He said that Sindh Environment Adviser Noman Saigol was taking keen interest for improvement in the environmental conditions. The forthcoming campaign, he pointed out, was also part of his programme to control all types of pollution with the active involvement of stake holders.

SEPA's director-general Shafique Ahmed Khoso informed the meeting that joint teams of SEPA and traffic police would check smoke emitting and noise producing vehicles at various busy city spots and fines would be imposed on such vehicles on the spot.

He observed that no campaign could be successful without active involvement of stake holders and that was why all the representatives of various transport organizations were being taken into confidence to make the campaign a big success.

The members of transport associations offered their full cooperation for the success of the campaign and demanded ban on sale of adulterated and sub-standard oil and diesel which, they alleged, was the main cause of air pollution. Among others, the meeting was attended Karachi Transport Ittehad president Irshad Bukhari, and representatives of other transport associations. -APP