KARACHI: The Supreme Court on Monday granted time to the Port Qasim Authority (PQA) to file comments and also issued notices to the railways, environmental authorities and others on a petition seeking contempt of court proceedings for allegedly violating an earlier order of the apex court regarding dumping of coal 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 would not be allowed anywhere in the provincial metropolis and it could 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.

He submitted that the court order had not been complied with. In the last hearing, the apex court had put the PQA on notice.

When the matter came up for hearing before a two-judge bench comprising Justices Faisal Arab and Sajjad Ali Shah on Monday, a PQA official and a counsel for Pakistan International Bulk Terminal (PIBT) sought time to file comments.

The bench observed that it had also barred the authorities concerned from keeping coal at the port beyond a fixed limit.

It said that the court would also ask the local administration whether they made any arrangements in this regard.

The petitioner suggested that the transportation of coal from the PQA may be made through the railways instead of trucks.

The bench also issued notices to the railways, Sindh Environmental Protection Agency, local government secretary and others for the next hearing.

Impleading the PQA, through its then chairman Asad Rafi Chandna, as respondent, the petitioner argued that the coal had not been kept safely and was being dumped openly at the port.

He further submitted that the coal was not being transported from the PQA in a proper and secure manner causing environmental pollution.

He said that open coal dumping and its transportation were causing environmental pollution and causing health hazard for Karachiites.

The petitioner argued that he approached the authorities concerned for compliance with the apex court order, but to no avail.

He asked the court to initiate contempt of court proceedings against the respondent.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2019