MULTAN, July 26: The Environment Protection Department initiated on Monday a probe into the Friday last leakage of ammonia gas from the Pak-Arab Fertilizers that left two dozen workers unconscious.

District officer (environment) Khalid Mehmood had issued a show cause notice to the PFL management on Saturday last under section 142 of the Punjab Local Government Ordinance to explain the 'disaster' at the factory that endangered human lives.

PFL's general manager (technical) Saleem Zafar and Manager (safety) Abdul Kareem Moon visited the EPD offices on Monday and took the stance that the media had blown up a 'minor' issue at the behest of factory's labour union (CBA).

The PFL officials reportedly argued that the EPD had nothing to do with the incident of ammonia leak as it had happened within the factory premises and none from the public at large had so far come up to complain against any trouble.

Talking to Dawn, the DO (environment) said that he would visit the PFL factory on Tuesday and would also hold a meeting with labour union office-bearers the same day to collect facts about the incident.

He said irrespective of the Friday incident his office had already received several complaints against the environmental pollution being caused in the area by the giant factory.

Meanwhile, PFL labour union president Qaiser Javed has urged the factory management to invest in the balancing, modernization and replacement of machinery. He questioned that if the incident was of a minor nature then why the management completely halted the plant for three days.

He said the factory remained closed for three weeks for the so-called annual 'turnaround' but the decayed insulation of the ammonia tank was being replaced now on emergency basis after the Friday leak.

FARM POLICIES: Growers rejected farm policies of the present government at a 'Kissan Conference' organized by the Pakistan Seraiki Party here on Monday. The conference was held in Jalalabad village near Muzaffarabad, in the outskirts of the city.