PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Wednesday directed the local government of Peshawar to identify spaces in consultation with the forest department to build small parks.

A bench consisting of Chief Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan and Justice Mohammad Ibrahim Khan observed that the setting up parks and planting trees on vacant government spaces would have positive impact on the environment on one hand and prevent their illegal occupation on the other.

It directed director general of Peshawar Metropolitan government Arshad Zubair to hold meetings with officers of the forest department to identify appropriate spaces for the purpose.

The court was hearing a petition filed by resident Syed Ali Shah against ‘land mafias’ over the grabbing of government land in the provincial capital by fraudulent means.

Observes park initiative to prevent land grabbing

The petitioner’s lawyer, Asghar Ali Shah, contended that land grabbers had occupied a vacant piece of land belonging to Peshawar Town One (Peshawar Metropolitan under the new local body system).

He said the high court had earlier ordered the Town Municipal Administration officials and divisional forester Tariq Shah to visit the place to ascertain the situation and build a park there if it was possible.

Provincial forest secretary Abid Majeed, Tariq Shah, Arshad Zubair, town municipal officer Waqas Ali and other officials appeared before the court.

Tariq Shah said several vacant spaces were available here where small parks on the Japanese Miyawaki forestation pattern.

He added that such forests not only beautified the land but would also make the environment healthier for the residents.

The bench observed that the government had itself left precious lands vacant, so they became easier for ‘land mafia’ to occupy.

Sabauddin Khattak, lawyer for the local government department, said under the new local body system, several of the properties had to be handed over to thePeshawar Metropolitan government.

The bench directed Tariq Shah, who is also a forestry expert, to act as focal person in the case.

During hearing, the bench expressed concern over a report, which revealed that 42 precious trees were cut down for benefitting a private housing scheme in Charssada.

Forest secretary Abid Majeed told the bench that he had already taken notice of the matter and visited the area himself.

He added that the relevant staffers had been suspended and an inquiry was in progress to identify who issued the no objection certificate for the felling of those trees.

The secretary said he had planted 84 trees there, which were four to five years old to fulfil that loss.

The bench observed that the forest secretary was known as an honest and competent officer, so he should look into all such issues.

It ordered action against all those involved in environmental degradation through deforestation.

Meanwhile, the bench also heard a petition of a coal stockiest against the orders of the Environmental Protection Agency to remove his coal storage facility from Peshawar’s Inqilab Road for being located in a populated area and harming people’s health.

It directed the EPA to allow the petitioner to store coal stocks at an alternate location provided that it should not adversely affect the population.

The petitioner’s counsel, Munsif Saeed, said the EPA had claimed that the storage facility was located in a populated area though its location was away from population.

However, an EPA officer, who was also in attendance, rejected the claim and insisted that the area was densely populated.

Later, the bench adjourned hearing into the cases until Sept 28.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2022