The Environment Protection Department (EPD) Punjab has written to the Punjab government for restoration of Environment Council in order to tackle the environmental issues including smog by the province.

"Summary for restoration of the Council has been sent to the Chief Minister Punjab and it is expected that the Council will meet on Wednesday with CM Usman Buzdar in the Chair," said provincial Secretary Environment Saima Saeed while briefing Minister for Environment Muhammad Rizwan at a meeting here on Monday.

According to the proposal, the CM will be the chairperson of the Council, the Environment minister will be the vice chairman while official members include Secretaries of EPD, P&D, Finance, Irrigation, Health, HUD&PHE, Forestry, Wildlife & Fisheries, LG&CD, Industries, Commerce& Investment departments and DG EPA.

It has also been proposed in the summary that 35 non-official members will be taken on board in the council including representatives of different important departments and members from various chambers of commerce in the province.

DG EPD Tanveer Warraich also briefed the minister and said that old technology brick kilns had been closed in 18 districts of the Punjab and the EPA has constituted teams for identification and taking appropriate legal action against illegal resource recovery units, established without environmental approval in violation of section 12 of PEPA Act 1997 and also causing environmental pollution in violation of section 11.

He also gave detail of team members, DD EPA Azmat Naz, DD Environment M Muntaz, M Tahir from lab at HQ, DD EDH Azhar Iqbal, research officer M Arshad and DD Husnain from Environment department were included.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019

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