ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Standing Committee on Climate Change expressed, on Monday, its "grave displeasure" over the performance of Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) and Ministry of Industries and Production, and asked both the government entities to "put their house in order."
In this context, the committee summoned Director General Pak-EPA Farzana Altaf Shah and Secretary Industries and Production Kamran Ali Afzal in the next meeting. The committee met under the chair of Munaza Hassan from the ruling party; Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The NA panel took up the issue of recycling of scrap batteries and progress on recycling plant installation. The officials of Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC) briefed the committee that the matter did not fall under the purview of MoCC.
Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul informed the committee that MoCC had formulated a policy on dealing with electronic waste (e-waste) "but Ministry of Industries and Production requested to be assigned the responsibility of dealing with e-waste."
The committee was also informed that no work had been done on e-waste scrap and no regulations were framed in this regard. The committee chairperson took on both MoCC and Industries and Production Ministry for their alleged failure in dealing with e-waste.
"It seems that no one is willing to take the ownership of this issue. It is the responsibility of MoCC to deal with each and every issue concerning environment. And if the Ministry of Industries and Production wanted and then got a role in dealing with e-waste, why is it reluctant to act?" she remarked.
The NA panel slammed Pak-EPA and its DG for failing to act against those industries and hospitals that were creating environmental hazards related to toxic waste.
"Pak-EPA is a burden on national exchequer. It is doing nothing and its top officials are in deep slumber. Improving environmental standards is one of the priorities of Prime Minister Imran Khan but those who are assigned to implement the PM's vision are doing nothing for environment," the committee members remarked.
The committee asked "all officials of Pak-EPA that they must read all sections of environmental laws and must come prepared before the committee."
The panel also sought a presentation from Pak-EPA in the next meeting regarding industries waste and asked the environment body to "come up with the data of the entire country."
Committee members including Andleeb Abbas, Dr Seemi Bokhari, Naureen Farooq, Tahira Aurangzab, Shaista Pervaiz, Musarrat Asif Khawaja, Zahra Wadood Fatemi, Romina Khursheed Alam, Syed Mustafa Mahmud, Zulfiqar Bachani, Shahida Rehmani and senior officials of the relevant ministries and their attached departments attended the meeting.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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