MULTAN, March 4: District Coordination Officer Muhammad Ijaz Chaudhry has ordered sealing of a carbon dioxide storage plant, which was allegedly allowed to work illegally by the Pak-Arab Fertilizers.

The DCO was presiding over a meeting of a committee formed to monitor environmental pollution being spread in the area by the Pak-Arab Fertilizers unit here in the Multan city.

He observed that the management of the unit authorized a private company to set up a carbon dioxide storage plant on the premises of the factory without bringing the matter into the knowledge of district government. He directed the district officer (environment) to seal the plant without any delay.

He further directed that the fertilizer factory be issued a notice for violating general laws about the protection of environment. It was also decided that a letter would be sent to the federal production ministry against the management of the Pak-Arab Fertilizers for not complying with an order of the federal ombudsman office viz-a-viz plantation in vicinity of the factory.

The federal ombudsman had issued the decree against the fertilizer unit on the writ of the residents of colonies in proximity of the factory in 1996, but implementation on the ruling is yet to be executed.