Residents of Paris Colony staged a peaceful protest against City District Government Environment Department on protecting illegal factories established and operational in congested residential area of Wagha Town on Monday in front of Lahore Press Club.
They said despite directives of Chief Minister Punjab, the environment department of city government was reluctant to take legal action against violators under section 12 of Punjab Environment Protection Act 1997.
They chanted slogans against District Office Environment Yunis Zahid and other employees who were allegedly patronising illegal factories in residential areas over vested interests.
According to a document presented by protestors, the residents filed an application to chief minister against illegal factories working in residential area of Paris Colony in September 2013. The Chief Minister vide letter 6318 dated October 2 directed DCO Lahore to visit personally the site and take action against the violators creating nuisance for the local people.
The residents alleged that nine factories including a marble cutting unit, fake medicine manufacturer, alcohol producer and chemical were established in residential areas without getting NOC from environment department and town administration. The factories were not only sources of pollution but also its offensive smell of medicine; heaps of garbage/raw material were creating health hazards and wondering of workers putting adverse social impacts on residents.
The environment department issued notices to all factory owners on violation of section 12 of Act after admitting the allegations true and fact based. The factory owners failed to satisfy the observations in their replies and liable for sealing.
The District Officer Environment in his earlier report to DCO maintained that the factories were illegally constructed in residential area as the town management had no authority to change the land use and approve the industrial or commercial plan in any residential area. The factories had installed power generators without sound proof canopy, solid waste is burnt in streets, broken glass bottles were through in open plots, no treatment of waste and smell and loading and unloading was done in streets causing inconvenience to the residents.
The factories were established in violation of buildings rules, health and safety issue and permanent sources of socio environmental problems for the public, he maintained.
Over this two factories were sealed by city government during last week of February and on Mach 10, the DCO re-opened one Sonexo Lab conditionally granting one year period to shift and during stay, the owner was bound to redress volitions regarding safety, environmental problem, traffic hazards and removal of over congestion of flammable material and provision of emergency exit.
The marble factory was given three months to shift while observing all conditions of safety and environment pollution which caused health problems to the nearby residents. Both factories were de-sealed without hearing the arguments of residents (in their absence), they maintained.
Now both the owners had not implemented the conditions and the district office environment was reluctant to take action against them over violations, the protestors alleged. The district officer was not sealing other seven factories which were permanent sources of environment pollution, solid waste and social issue in the localities despite the facts all allegations were proved true and factual, they added. Despite to observe conditions, the owners were giving threats of dire consequence to the applicants, the protestors alleged.
The protestors alleged that officer of city government were protecting illegal factories against the vision of CM and government policy to shift all industrial units from residential localities owing to some monetary benefits.
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