The Punjab government has constituted a five-member 'probe committee' to look into the purchase and operational performance of six air pointers and laboratories of the Environmental Protection Agency, Punjab. The committee will submit its report within 15 days and fix responsibility for purchase of non-functional air quality monitoring equipment, said a notification issued by the Environment Protection Department (EPD).
Sources privy to the development told Business Recorder on Thursday that some confusion was prevailing about the functionality of air pointers, and their capability to monitor and generate the data about air pollution. The committee is being headed by Additional Secretary EPD Sajjad Ahmad Khan as its convener while Muhammad Nawaz Malik, Director (Legal-EPA), Shahid Hassan, Director (P&C), Dr. Nusrat Naz Director (EDH) and Dr. Fareeha, Research Officer (AP) EPA Lahore are its members.
According to the TORs set for the committee by the department, it will conduct an inquiry and seek answers to the questions such as procurement process, especially with reference to the cost of every unit and justification of replacement of parts from the air monitoring stations provided by JICA, into the air pointers.
The committee will also probe into reasons of installation of air pointer purchased in May 2016 at the end of year 2017 after a lapse of its warranty period, and delayed installation of five air pointers purchased in the months of May-June 2017.
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