KARACHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice to the chairman Port Qasim Authority (PQA) on a petition seeking contempt of court proceedings for allegedly violating an earlier order of the apex court regarding coal dumping and its transportation.

The petitioner Venu G. Advani submitted that the Supreme Court had directed the PQA in June last year that open coal storage will not to be allowed anywhere in the metropolis and can only be kept in warehouses and in case of transportation, proper blankets and moisture must be provided to the coal so that the dust should not cause pollution.

Impleading the PQA through its then chairman Asad Rafi Chandna as respondent, the petitioner contended that the court order has not been complied with since he argued that coal was not being kept safely and dumped openly at the port.

He further asserted that the transportation of coal from the PQA was also not properly and securely done causing environmental pollution in an already polluted city.

The petitioner argued that he approached the authorities concerned for compliance of the apex court order, but to no avail and pleaded to initiate contempt of court proceedings against the respondent.

A two-judge bench of the apex court comprising Justices Faisal Arab and Sajjad Ali Shah issued notice to the PQA chairman and directed him to file comments in two weeks.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2019