PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Wednesday allowed working of the coal power plant in Kohat on experimental basis while hearing a petition challenging the plant.
A PHC bench comprises of Justice Syed Arshad Ali and Justice Dr. Khurshid Iqbal heard petition against the plant.
The high court bench directed for survey about the health problems to local population in the vicinity of the coal power plant.
The court ordered the health department and the environmental protection agency to conduct the health survey.
“A detailed judgment will be issued on the basis of the health survey report,” court observed.
The court in a hearing of the case in July issued notices to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Health Department and other respondents, seeking detailed reports.
During the hearing, counsel for the petitioners argued that the cement factory is located just 200 metres from a residential area and that the proposed coal-fired power plant would further worsen pollution.
The lawyer contended that the project had been initiated without obtaining the required No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Environmental Protection Agency.
He further argued that emissions from the existing cement plant had already contributed to environmental pollution and the spread of various diseases in the area, while the new coal-fired plant would aggravate the situation.
The petitioners maintained that the project violated their fundamental rights as well as Pakistan’s statutory and international environmental obligations. They requested the court to declare the construction and operation of the coal power plant illegal and unconstitutional and to set aside any NOC issued for the project.
They also sought a permanent injunction restraining the respondents from establishing, constructing or operating the coal-fired power plant in Babri Banda.
In addition, the petitioners requested the court to direct the provincial government, the EPA, the Health Department and other relevant authorities to conduct a comprehensive, independent and transparent Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).