KARACHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) to remove toxic chemical waste dumped in different parts of SITE.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and comprising Justices Chaudhry Ijaz Ahmed and Ghulam Rabbani was hearing a human rights application filed by Gul Zaib, a resident of Abidabad.

A young boy, Iftikhar, had died and 19 other children suffered disabilities due to toxic chemical waste dumped in the Abidabad area of SITE in April 2006.

Appearing in court on Thursday, Sepa director-general Naeem Mughal assured the bench that the toxic industrial waste would be removed from all areas of the industrial estate within the next seven days.

The toxic industrial waste was dumped without adopting proper scientific methods on plots F-620 and F-621, where the victim children were playing cricket.

Eight-year-old Iftikhar, son of Khawaja Mohammed, was so badly burned that he later died in hospital, while his 10-year-old friend Shiraz, son of Ali Sarwar, got disabled for life when doctors were forced to amputate both his legs and hands as a result of exposure to the toxic chemicals.

In an almost identical incident in Feb 2007, 15 children suffered injuries due to improper dumping of toxic industrial waste.

The applicant, whose son was among the injured victims, had filed a direct human rights complaint in the apex court, requesting it to order the authorities concerned to check the violation of environmental laws and take action against factories responsible for the death of the boy and disabilities to many others.

On Thursday, the fathers of the deceased boy and the disabled victim appeared in court and submitted that they had been given a total compensation of Rs2.2 million by Farooq Gharib, the factory owner who was booked in the case, but later acquitted by the trial court.

The two fathers stated that they had filed an appeal in the Sindh High Court against the acquittal of the factory owner. However, they added, the appeal was later withdrawn as the victims’ families entered into an agreement with the acquitted defendant.

The bench asked if the remaining injured children were compensated or not. The bench was informed that the whereabouts of those children were not known.

The court ordered the police authorities to locate the children so that they would also be given compensation.

The court directed the Society for Safe and Healthy Environment, a non-governmental organisation, to get the statement of the children recorded and help them get compensation.

Marine pollution case

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court bench directed the attorney-general of Pakistan to monitor the meeting of all stakeholders to evolve effective measures to contain marine pollution.

The bench was seized with the hearing of three human rights complaints seeking an end to growing marine pollution in the coastal areas due to discharge of poisonous and hazardous industrial waste and pesticides into the sea.

Several government organisations and functionaries, including the Karachi Port Trust, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board, SITE, the Defence Housing Authority, the Cantonment Board Clifton and the Landhi Industrial Estate have been impleaded as respondents.

The attorney-general assured the apex court that he would submit progress reports on the issue in the court from time to time. He also said that strict action would be taken against the violators of environmental laws.

Removal of terminal

ordered

The SC bench on Thursday ordered removal of an illegal oil tankers terminal from the residential area of Shireen Jinnah Colony, a neighbourhood in Clifton, and ordered the Karachi Port Trust to hand over the possession of an alternative plot to oil tanker owners.

The bench was hearing a constitutional petition filed by Shugafta Bibi, a resident of Clifton Block-1, who prayed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan to order the shifting of the oil tankers’ terminal from the locality.

The woman had initially sent a letter to the CJP who converted it into a constitutional petition.

The petitioner complained that heavy oil tankers were parked on both sides of the main road in Clifton Block-1 and its surrounding area. Besides, she said, a number of auto workshops had also been opened in the locality, making the lives of area residents miserable.

Appearing in court along with a provincial law officer, the Karachi Port Trust managing-director submitted that the KPT was ready to provide an alternative plot of three acres for the parking of oil tankers.

The president of Oil Tankers Association, Syed Ataullah, stated that the land grabbers had illegally encroached upon the land being offered by the KPT. He also submitted that oil tankers were also engaged in making supplies to North Atlantic Treaty Organisation forces in Afghanistan.

The bench observed that illegal parking could not be allowed anywhere no matter the oil tankers made supplied to Nato forces or others.

The bench ordered the respondents, including KPT’s MD and DIG of police, to hand over the possession of three acres to oil tanker owners and submit a compliance report in court on Friday.