LHC summons DC, PDMA DG in smog case

LAHORE:The Lahore High Court Thursday summoned the deputy commissioner of Lahore and director general of Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) to explain their position on increasing smog.

Hearing a petition relating environmental issues, Justice Shahid Karim observed that the district administration and the PDMA had failed to take desperate measures to control smog. He said the authorities needed to conduct on-site visits of industrial units in the precincts of Lahore especially and take precautionary measures against the crop stubble burning.

Meanwhile, a court-made environment commission’s member Syed Haider submitted a report showing that in the month of October, actions had been taken by sealing 82 industrial units and impounding 498 vehicles in Lahore for smoke/gas emissions. Justice Karim observed that future generations would bear the brunt of the negligence and the malpractices of the bureaucracy. The judge said that Lahore’s deteriorating air quality showed that the government was irresponsible and callous about its affairs.

Earlier, petitioner’s counsel Sheraz Zaka submitted that the commissioners were not bothered about the environmental issues that were going to adversely affect sustainable development. The judge summoned the DC and PDMA’s DG for Friday (today).

inspection: On the direction of the Chief Justice Lahore High Court Lahore, Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan, special inspection of district judiciary across Punjab is being initiated. The performance and complete record of the courts of two districts will be checked every week. Special physical inspection of Lodhran and Narowal courts will be conducted in the coming week.

Judicial officers posted in Lahore High Court have been assigned the duties of special inspection. Two teams consisting of judicial officers have been formed to inspect Lodhran and Narowal next week.

The inspection teams include District and Sessions Judges, Additional District and Sessions Judges and Senior Civil Judges. The teams will submit their reports to the Chief Justice after a thorough inspection of the respective district courts. All possible facilities as well as speedy and quality justice to the litigant public will be ensured. Justice Shahid Waheed of Lahore High Court will monitor all the stages of special inspections. He also gave special instructions to the DG District Judiciary and Inspection Teams as well.