Action warned against illegal waste dumping

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LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday sought a report from the Rescue 1122 director general regarding a garbage-burning incident near a private housing society and ordered authorities to take strict action against those involved in illegal waste dumping.

Justice Shahid Karim issued the directions while hearing petitions related to smog prevention and environmental protection measures.

During the proceedings, the court reviewed a report concerning pollution caused by the burning of garbage behind Paragon Society.

The report stated that the Environment Protection Department had undertaken extensive efforts to eliminate the illegal dumping site and had deployed monitoring teams on a permanent basis to prevent further violations.

A representative of the Environmental Commission informed the court that waste dumping near Paragon City had been halted immediately following intervention by the authorities.

The Punjab government's counsel told the court that several FIRs had already been registered against the contractor allegedly involved in the dumping activities.

Questioning the effectiveness of the action taken so far, Justice Karim asked why the contractor had not yet been arrested despite multiple criminal cases against him.

The judge directed the authorities to summon the contractor and issue a formal warning that any future violations would result in strict legal action.

The court further ordered the deputy commissioner concerned to install signboards declaring the area a "No Dumping Zone" and instructed the local SHO to register criminal cases against anyone found disposing of waste at the site.

Justice Karim also directed the authorities to obtain an affidavit from the contractor, assuring the court that he would refrain from dumping waste at the location in the future.

Expressing concern over the fire that broke out at the dumping site, the judge observed that firefighting operations should be carried out carefully to avoid the risk of chemical leaks or explosions.

However, the petitioner's counsel argued that although dumping activities had temporarily stopped, waste was being dumped again whenever monitoring teams left the area.