KARACHI: The environmental tribunal’s order to suspend 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) has set a precedent for overall real estate and development related activities along the city’s coastline, officials and experts said on Friday.

Civil society and DHA residents are also gearing up to plead their case against the proposed commercialisation at all levels.

An official said that the orders from the environmental tribunal emerged as a crucial development that could affect overall activities along the Karachi coast.

However, he said the particular project, which was initiated by the CBC, had faced a major blow and now required the authorities to get prepared to face a much larger challenge.

“Sepa had granted IEE approval dated Feb 19, 2020 in respect of the ‘development of beach’ of the CBC,” said an official.

“A group of citizens, had filed an appeal against the move and their pleas have been endorsed and now an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) will be held, which requires inputs from all stakeholders including those having reservations.”

He said the size, cost and stakes of all people concerned in fact determined the exercise of IEE and EIA.

The decision, on the other hand, has lifted hopes of many and those who have taken up the issue are determined to pursue it at next stages.

Arif Belgaumi, member of the group of citizens who had file the appeal against the CBC project, said that the proposal to develop the beach on these lines and on such a huge space along the coast was never shared with the people.

“Somehow, we came to know about it, but it was not shared or made public,” he said. “We came to know about the project in July 2020 and we formally approached Sepa seeking a copy of the IEE report and it took us three months to get that copy. So you can imagine how things are being run. We hope to plead our case further with strong participation in public hearings whenever they are held.”

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2021