LAHORE, Feb 15: Governor Khalid Maqbool has said that the launch of a comprehensive awareness campaign is a must to protect environment.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Dr Pervez Hasan Environmental Law Centre on the premises of the Punjab University Law College on Saturday, the governor said that the government had spent billions of rupees to protect environment but its efforts did not materialize as the masses were not aware about it.

“Unless the people are made aware about their duty to protect environment, government’s finances will go waste,” he said.

He said the government was facing problems of the disposal of solid waste, water and air pollution and to cope with these, it required help from private sector.

Lauding the efforts of Dr Pervaiz Hasan, he urged philanthropists to come forward and initiate such projects so that society could benefit from them.

He also urged the environmentalists to give their best in the implementation of environmental laws. He said the provincial government would also extend financial support to the centre.

Later, talking to reporters, the governor said the centre would remain under the PU administration.

When asked that the PU Law College students had objected to the name of the centre, the governor said it was done to honour its founder for his initiative.

Answering a question, he said that he had not read the health commission report so far, however, he assured that the issue of board of governors in the autonomous health institutions would be resolved to benefit the poor.

Earlier, PU Law College principal Dil Muhammad said that the centre would play an important in promoting environment law education. He said a committee headed by Justice Sardar Iqbal (retired) had been constituted to decide the rules of business for running the centre. He said the centre would soon establish itself as a centre of higher learning and train lawyers and others to protect environment. He said the establishment of a Centre of Intellectual Property Law had also been proposed by the private sector.

PU vice-chancellor Arshad Mahmood, Syed Babar Ali, Shafqat Kakakhail and Dr Pervaiz Hasan also spoke.