KARACHI: Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) has given a week deadline to the managements of K-Electric (KE) and Lucky Cement to cope with their environmental issues to avoid necessary action.

According to SEPA spokesman, Naeem Ahmed Mughal, Director General, Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), has given the managements of K-Electric and Lucky Cement a week time to cope with their environmental issues in their production and supply activities to avoid necessary action against them under the Sindh Environmental Protection Act 2014.

During separate hearings of the managements of the two companies at his office, DG SEPA expressed dismay over the dissatisfactory steps taken by the two companies to prevent air pollution, especially emissions of large amounts of thick smoke from stack/chimneys of their plants. Subsequently he directed them to turn their environmental issues in the direction of rectification within a week’s time.

It may be recalled that earlier DG SEPA had summoned the managements of K-Electric and Lucky Cement for a personal hearing on Wednesday on their insufficient compliance with the environmental standards. They were offered the opportunity of personal hearing so that they could defend their position before any further legal action is initiated by SEPA against them.

Moreover, on the directives of Sindh Government’s Spokesman and Sindh Chief Minister’s Adviser on Law, Environment, Climate Change and Coastal Development Barrister Murtaza Wahab, SEPA is taking all possible steps to prevent pollution in the entire province.

Two separate notices were issued to the top management of these two companies three days ago according to which environmental requirements were not being fully met during the production and supply activities of the two companies and coal particles, fumes and plenty of other emissions were polluting the surrounding air.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020