KARACHI, July 4: Despite efforts some environment friendly projects and anti pollution schemes have been failing to attain pace or create impact as officials handled those half-heartedly.

This was revealed by Sindh Environment Adviser Noman Saigol here on Tuesday at a press conference that he had called to apprise newsmen about his visits abroad as a member of Alternative Energy Development Board, Islamabad.

Speaking on the occasion, he said in a clear tone that some of the officials belonging to the environment and alternative energy department and environmental protection agency of the Sindh government sabotaged the projects.

"I am so much desperate that I had already demanded for immediate transfer and replacement of the sitting director-general of Sindh Environmental Protection Agency", he added, saying there was a need for posting a competent and technically sound DG, who can expedite the file works and take cognizance of others causing unnecessary delay or create hurdles in projects of importance.

He said that during some recent meetings of his delegation with foreigners in US, UK, Holland and Brazil, he could understand that foreign groups in the private sector wanted to invest in Pakistan, especially in Sindh, in the fields of solar energy harvesting, production of ethanol from raw material available in Pakistan from crushed sugarcane for vehicle fuelling and windmills.

The adviser hoped that a few of the interested parties would shortly be invited to make presentations before the Sindh governor and chief minister and if things went in the right direction at least one MoU would also be signed. He said that ethanol production plants and solar panel manufacturing projects could be launched in Sindh under collaborations between local and foreign investors.

Mr Saigol said that about 3-4 million vehicles run on ethanol acquired from sugarcane crushes and oats in the USA, which could be emulated in Pakistan as well in order to have cheaper and environment friendly source of energy.

At Brazil we came to know that 80 per cent of the vehicles run on ethanol from sugar. Brazilians are interested in the transfer of technology as well, he added, saying that we can persuade our sugar mills for setting up ethanol factories.

Replying to a question the minister said that finding officials of the SEPA non-cordial or indifferent towards decisions and policies of the department he, finally, had given them a time frame of 48 hours for release of files, after noting down their observations and suggestions, otherwise will have to face action.