December 02, 2006	Saturday	Ziqa'ad 10, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 1: The local brick kilns’ owners have expressed their willingness to move to other sites or switch over to environment-friendly techniques provided the government comes up with a feasible plan.

“We are open to any workable plan, be it to move our business to other places or switching over to new technology, but it has to be a realistic one,” Brick Kilns Owners Association General Secretary Chaudhry Ikramullah said.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Chaudhry accused the government of not coming up with any concrete plan to move the industry out of the populated areas.

The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration and Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pepa) are working on a plan to shift brick kilns out of the city’s limits.

Besides being a health hazard, the smoke-emitting kilns are creating visibility problem for the air traffic at the Islamabad International Airport.

Kiln owners are issued notices every now and then, either from the ICT administration or Pepa, to shut down their business, or sometimes invited for a meeting, Mr Chaudhry said.

Earlier, Pepa told the association to use quality coal, and not to use rubber or furnace oil for baking purpose, he said, adding that “there are about 70 brick kilns in question, and ICT administration and Pepa are welcome to visit any of the sites and point out if we are using banned fuel”.

Responding to a question, he said, yes they (authorities) had been talking about moving ‘us’ to other places and switching over to new technology, but so far nothing practical had been done. “What if they asked us to adopt new technology without letting us know what is all about or moving us to a place, without access roads or unsuitable soil for bricks,” he asked.

When contacted, Pepa Director-General Asif Shujah said a committee headed by the ICT chief commissioner was actively working on a project, under which brick kilns would be moved out of the zone IV and V of the capital city. They (owners) have two options: either to move their business to alternative sites, or switch over to new smoke-free technology for baking kilns.

“We are working on both these options side by side and have already demonstrated the new technology to them. We are also busy selecting new sites for them,” the DG said.

Responding to a question, Mr Shujah said two brick kilns near Khana Pul were creating visibility problem for pilots during landing and taking off at Islamabad airport, and hence needed to be immediately removed. “We have issued them notices, but they have gone to the environmental tribunal and the matter has become subjudice,” he said. Chinese have come up with an environment- friendly technology for backing bricks and the agency was also pursuing them (owners) to try it,” the DG said.