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HYDERABAD, Aug 30: The Sindh High Court, Hyderabad circuit bench, on Friday issued notices to the local government secretary, Environmental Protection Agency director general, EPA regional director, DCO, EDO, local government, Sindh Brick Kiln Owners Association and the Sindh additional advocate general in a constitutional petition.
The Bhitai Welfare Association had filed the petition through its chief executive, Abdul Hakeem Khoso, praying the court to direct brick kiln owners to abide by environmental guidelines issued by the EPA director general. The petition further said the respondents official should also be directed to enforce the guidelines.
The petitioner said several brick kilns were established in the area, causing problems for the residents. He said the kilns were located close to the Hyderabad city.
The respondent SBKOA admitted before the court that 42 brick kilns were functional in the area.
The petitioner said the kilns could not be considered legal although the same existed for a long time and added that the Sindh Local Government Ordinance of 1979 and the Environmental Act of 1997 required examination and permission from authorities concerned before opening a kiln. He claimed none of the 42 kilns had fulfilled these conditions.
He said the EPA director general had sent communications to authorities concerned regarding the hazard caused by the kilns with recommendations and the fourth senior civil judge had also passed a judgment for removal of kilns on account of environmental pollution.
HISTORICAL SITES: The taluka council, City, here on Saturday called for the preservation of archaeological sites in the city which were being neglected for many years.
The house took up the resolution of Ali Akbar Vighiyo in this regard in which he said such sites added to the beauty of the city, and therefore, the government should look after them.
He said the clock tower at Shahi Bazaar stood as the identity of Hyderabad, and as such, it was necessary that the tower was maintained as well as other such sites.
After passing the resolution, it was sent to the archaeology department for further evaluation.
The taluka officer, Taxation, Sadiq Buroro, said the archaeology department should be asked to come forward and restore the old glory of the tower as it did by renovating buildings of the education department.
The taluka municipal officer, City, Altaf Leghari, pointed out that since the clock was lying faulty, therefore, both the Hyderabad Development Authority and the archaeological department should be approached.
Usman Abbasi, drawing the attention of the house towards the proposed conversion of a government school into a commercial complex, said the district Nazim and provincial government should be approached for the preservation of educational institutions.
Abdul Hameed told the house that union councils were not provided copies of estimates incurred on development works, adding that monitoring committees at taluka and district level were also being neglected.
Qamar Sheikh expressed concern over the unauthorized digging by the contractor of the TCC-proposed bus terminal near central jail. He said an agreement had been signed between the TCC and the contractor but the latter had not been issued any work order.
