SHC Issued Notices To DHA And CBC Against Commercialization Of Seaview

Karachi: Responding to a petition filed by the Public Interest Law Association of Pakistan and residents of DHA and Clifton, the Sindh High Court Has Issued Notices To DHA, Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC), and secretory Environment in the matter of Commercialization Of The Seaview. The court observed that the commercialization of the entire coastline would not benefit the people of Karachi. The petitioners had submitted that the Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) approval of the Sindh Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) had already been set aside by the environmental tribunal. The Proposed commercialization from Nishan-e-Pakistan Park to Village Restaurant in Phase-v in DHA compelled the citizens and the Public Interest Association to put up the matter before the SHC.

The petitioners through Advocate Zubair Abro claimed that the project carried out by the CBC spread over 160 Kanal of land would initiate development over 1 KM of Seaview. He said that prior to the decision of CBC and the DHA the area was opened for the general public which is no more in their access. The lawyer argued that the proposed commercialization would only benefit the elite class of the society and the general public would be deprived of their fundamental right of enjoying the Seaview. The petitioners’ councilor further argued that the IEE report had nothing to do with the actual ground realities and that the data included in the report was nothing more than a shame for the environment protection agency. He informed the honorable court that the IEE report has already been set aside by the environmental tribunal in November last year. 

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The bench was further informed that the construction activities are still continued on the beach despite the ruling of the environmental tribunal. The lawyer continued that CBC was violating section 17 of the Environment Protection Act 2014 that stipulates the Environmental Impact Assessment before execution of any project. He said that the Seaview is the property of the provincial government and the government of Sindh has no understanding with the CBC regarding the commercialization of the area. The petitioners requested the court to declare the area as an open natural beach free from all sorts of modifications. They also requested the bench to term the proposed project illegal and unconstitutional and restore the original natural and clean condition. The two-judge bench headed by Justice Syed Hassan Azahr after hearing the petitioners put the concerned authorities on notice and directed their office to arrange the next hearing in two weeks.