Private labs voice concern over EPA audit

LAHORE:Environmental Consultant Association of Pakistan (ECAP) has accused Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of pressurising private laboratories in the name of audit.

ECAP is the premium body of all environmental consultants in the country with its representation in four provinces. Private Environmental Laboratories are working under the Punjab Environmental Protection Act 1997 amended 2012 and has been certified under Laboratories Certification Rules 2000.

Recently, the EPA constituted a special committee to conduct audit of private laboratories after which the committee started visiting private laboratories for checking without giving any notice or schedule. Licence of one of the oldest private laboratories was cancelled during the audit while audit report of five laboratories was prepared.

Following the move of EPA, Nihal Asghar, President ECAP on Dec 27, 2020, wrote a letter to Provincial Secretary, EPD, with subject “Formation of Committee and Inspection of the Private Laboratories.”

The letter stated that the committee was constituted for the inspection of the laboratories on August 12, 2020 and alleged that the objective behind it to capture the maximum non-conformances in order to pressurise the laboratories and to have some deal in the end. “All this has been done on the instructions of a political figure in EPA Punjab,” ECAP alleged. It further stated that reference to ECAP letter dated Nov 30, 2020 it was already highlighted that the attitude of the committee members was non-professional during audit of various environmental laboratories. “Now, we also believe that this whole process of audit and then formulation of report is suspicious and with the instructions of a political figure,” the letter said, adding instead of giving the audit report to the laboratories concerned, it was leaked to media to damage the reputation and business of private laboratories. This also damages the EPA’s reputation,” Nihal Asghar, alleged in the letter.

He said private laboratories had been working with EPA for the last many years and has been supporting the EPA in various projects of data collection and monitoring. “We believe the audit report constituted by the committee is one sided and on unjustified grounds and is made over the instructions of a political figure,” he alleged, adding the whole process and unjustified approach from EPA towards private laboratories damage the overall industry and put the future of hundreds of employees working in private labs at stake. Nihal Asghar in the letter questioned the EPD about the legality of constituting such committee. He said under the rules private laboratories are bound to submit their own audit reports to the department once a year. In the letter, he asked as who is getting benefits from committee reports and who is taking advantages of media trial of private laboratories. When contacted, EPD spokesperson Sajid Bashir said the department was fully authorised in conducting audit of private labs operating in Punjab. He said the department issued a proper schedule of visiting these labs and sent them prior notices regarding visits of audit committee.

“Those who are working as per rules and regulations will continue their work while those who lack any infrastructure are issued show-cause notices and are asked to complete their labs as per their given NOC,” he said, adding the licences of those labs will be cancelled who fail to comply with rules and regulations.

About allegations of involvement of a political figure in audit, he said this was mere an allegation. He said the department has no intention to shut down private labs but the audit was being done to improve the services of these labs for their customers. He said two PhD doctors are included in the committee and other members are also highly qualified and trained professionals.

On the other hand, ECAP president Nihal Asghar while talking to The News said the association will approach every forum including the federal EPA to highlight the ‘unjustified’ move against the private consultants. He said in case the department did not stop pressurising the consultants, the association may approach Lahore High Court.