LAHORE, Feb 1: The Lahore High Court on Tuesday directed the management of cements plants, proposed to be established in the Kahoon Valley in the Salt Range, to submit their reply within a week.

The court adjourned the hearing of a constitutional petition, moved by the Environmental Law Association and 23 residents of Chakwal, for Feb 10. Counsels for the cement plants' management submitted before the court that they wanted time to file reply. The Punjab government has yet to submit a reply.

The petitioners submitted that emissions from the cement units in the valley posed a serious threat to the residents, flora and fauna and historic buildings in the area.

The petitioners contended that the federal government had shown its dissatisfaction over the quality of environment impact assessment (EIA) conducted by the Punjab Environmental Protection Agency (PEPA) on Oct 14 last on the basis of which the Punjab Industries Department issued the two companies no-objection certificates to set up cement units and excavate limestone as raw material from the rocks in the area.

They submitted that the EIA was not adequate and suffered from several shortcomings. The federal government wanted a fresh EIA before allowing the managements to set up plants.

They submitted that the district environment officers of Rawalpindi, Gujrat and Lahore had, through their reports, called the projects as dangerous for the local ecology and the health of the people of the area.