05 November 2004	Friday	21 Ramazan 1425

KARACHI, Nov 4: A group of leading education and health institutions holding land rights in the proposed education city have expressed serious concern over the area's industrialization and its impact on the environment.

An emergency meeting of the stakeholders held at the Ziauddin Medical University, Clifton Campus, expressed fear that the proposed investment in the Education City, to the tune of $400 to $500 million dollars might seriously be jeopardised.

The stakeholders included Ziauddin Medical University, Aga Khan University, Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology, Shaukat Khanum Cancer Memorial Hospital and Research Centre, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, Sindh Madaras Board Quaid-i-Azam Public School, Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology, and Newport Institute.

They have expressed readiness to commence work as soon as the current situation of ambivalence and ambiguity, which was permitting intrusion of industries in the area designated as an Education City and exclusively reserved for educational and health purposes, was resolved.

The government had planned an education city where educational institutions acquired land for the purpose. But, in violation of that objective, industries were allowed to be set up.

It would not only cause environmental hazards, but would also deplete subsoil water-level in the outskirts of Karachi.