PHC stays operation of Kohat coal-fired power plant

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday restrained the operation of a coal-fired power plant by a leading cement manufacturer in Kohat district until further orders.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Syed Arshad Ali and Justice Inam Ullah Khan issued the interim order while hearing a petition filed by Mohammad Ziad Afridi and five other residents of Babri Banda, who challenged the legality of the coal power plant being constructed by Kohat Cement Factory.

The court directed that the coal-fired power plant must not be made operational until the next hearing. It also issued notices to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Health Department and other respondents, seeking detailed reports. The case was adjourned until July 30.

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.

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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).