An environmental tribunal has suspended the Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) approval accorded by the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) to a project meant for allegedly commercialising the seafront in the name of development by the Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC).
Chairman retired Justice Nisar Muhammad Shaikh and the other members of the tribunal remanded the matter back to Sepa to decide upon it again in accordance with the law.
The tribunal passed these directives while disposing of an appeal filed by a group of citizens expressing their concerns about the proposed commercialisation of the seafront from Nishan-i-Pakistan Park to Chunky Monkey in the Phase-V of the Defence Housing Authority.
“It is planned to build two beach docks, a jogging track, fountains, monuments, restaurants and tuck shops, hawkers and street stalls, a children’s play area, green areas spreading over 13.5 acres and watchtowers,” they explained.
They alleged the said project was actually a part of a plan for commercialisation of the Clifton beach, which the CBC was attempting for many years, adding that the CBC was occupying the beach in parts from Dolman Mall to Village Restaurant.
The area between Nishan-i-Pakistan to Village Restaurant was open for citizens, but from quite some time the mushroom construction of small and large eateries were allowed, the appellants claimed.
The appellants also submitted a copy of the Google map showing trespassing on the beach in the last 20 years.
The appellants alleged that Sepa had granted IEE approval dated Feb 19, 2020 in respect of the “Development of Beach” of the CBC in violation of the provisions of the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Review of Initial Environmental Examination and Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations, 2014 arguing that said project in fact required filing of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) instead of IEE.
Likewise, the CBC chief executive officer also filed objections.
