College New Construction and Environment
ABBOTTABAD: Member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Heritage Committee Engineer Mehmood Aslam has expressed concern over the construction of an academic block at the Government Postgraduate College Abbottabad in a small place instead of building it at an alternative piece of land located at the back of the college. It has been learnt that the Earthquake Reconstruc
tion and Rehabilitation Authority (Erra) has not obtained the Environmentally Impact Assessment (EIA) for the project from the Ministry of Environment. The Environmental Protection Agency assistant director, who recently visited the site, pointed out that without the EIA such a project involving huge construction was illegal. Due to the fact that the main academic block is being constructed by Erra in front of the newly-built Science Block at a cost of Rs100 million, a lush green study lawn has been damaged by dumping thousand of truckloads of building waste there. About 10,000 students already enrolled in the college need open space otherwise traffic and human congestion in the campus will affect their studies. Some citizens have suggested that the new building should have been constructed on the land situated at the back of the college
Mehmood Aslam, who is an environmentalist, also objected to the construction of the academic block on a small piece of land at the Government Degree Girls College Abbottabad and said it would suffocate the students. Ironically, the Erra contractor working at the girls’ college has dumped tonnes of concrete and building waste in the lush green lawns of the postgraduate college meant for the boys instead of properly disposing it of outside the municipal limits of the city. Mehmood Aslam told The News that he had conveyed his reservations to the college principal, who had assured the preservation of the old historic structure and surrounding landscape. Contrary to the promise, he said dozens of old trees have already been chopped down while shrubs and newly planted young trees have also been crushed under the tyres of dumper trucks. Interestingly, one of the oldest maple trees in the city that is almost 150 years old is also suffering damage due to the carelessness of the building contractor. Tonnes of iron bars and other material have been dumped around the massive trunk of the maple tree, which will suffocate it and may ultimately cause its death. A big branch has also been broken by the trucks and lying near the tree. Another bio-environmentalist Timur Hayat said that Section 11 of the Environmental Protection Act 1997 clearly prohibited dumping building waste in green areas. Section 12 of EPA, 1997 states: “No proponent of a project shall commence construction or operation unless he has filed with the environmental agency an initial environmental examination.”
Besides, Section 16 prohibits destruction of green belts and if found guilty, the contractor will have to restore the environment to the condition existing prior to such damage. In violation of sections 11, 12 and 16, a fine up to one million rupees may be imposed by the environmental tribunal. Concerned citizens have asked the provincial government, especially the heritage committee, to look into the matter and take proper and immediate action to protect the environment and preserve the heritage. They are also considering legal options if the authorities fail to take any action to save the beauty of the city.
