TOBA TEK SINGH: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested a three-member gang involved in forex trading and illegal currency exchange business on Wednesday.

An FIA official said Syed Zaheer Abbas, Awais Ali, and Kamran Mehdi were also involved in the purchase and sale of cryptocurrency and committing fraud in the name of unlawful investment, extorting millions of rupees from citizens.

He mentioned that their mobile phones and records of transactions had been taken into custody.

FESCO: A public hearing took place at the University Grid Station in Faisalabad on Wednesday to assess the environmental impact of construction, alteration, expansion, upgrade, and construction of 132KV and 66KV grid stations across the region by the Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (Fesco).

Representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency, Punjab government, Civil Defense Department, and officers of Fesco Project Management Unit were present.

Assistant directors of the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) Muhammad Saud and Bilal Sadiq highlighted the legal importance of the public hearing, calling it as the best forum for hearing stakeholders, affected persons, and the general public. They said the EPA was not against development work but aims to minimise the negative impact on the environment.

Fesco consultant on environment Malik Muhammad Sharif, Additional(DG Tahir Sheikh and Assistant Director Shamsila Falak said that Fesco’s new development projects have not any adverse effects on the natural environment rather, the completion of these projects will benefit all stakeholders and the general public.

They said if any trees were felled due to development projects of Fesco, the company would be obliged to pay compensation to their owners and plant three more trees for every tree. Water, noise and air pollution tests would be conducted every six months at the sites of these projects to ensure that these projects do not cause any harm to the natural environment.

SYMPOSIUM: A two-day symposium on the role of nanotechnology and microbiology for a sustainable future, organised by the Institute of Microbiology at Government College University, Faisalabad, concluded on Wednesday.

Speakers, including GCUF VC Dr Nasir Amin, Faisalabad Medical University VC Prof Dr Zafar Ali Chaudhry, and Institute of Microbiology Director Prof Dr Hidayat Rasool, discussed the role of nanotechnology and microbiology in a sustainable future. They informed participants about the uses, emphasizing benefits in the biomedical field, increased energy efficiency, environmental cleaning, and solving major health problems.

Published in Dawn, February 29th, 2024