LAHORE: The Sheikhupura district coordination officer assured the Lahore High Court on Thursday that no progress will be made in coal power project till a mandatory survey of Environment Impact Assessment (EIA). The DCO gave the undertaking to Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah during hearing of a petition against the Sheikhupura Coal Power Project.

Ali Sher and others filed the petition saying the Punjab government acquired 9,000 kanal land for the project and started work on the site without carrying out mandatory survey (EIA). They said poisonous waste and smoke to be emitted from the coal power production will pollute the environment and damage health of inhabitants of nearby locality.

The DCO also admitted that the EIA survey was not conducted before the start of the project. However, he undertook before the court that no further progress would be made in the project till attainment of the EIA report.

Justice Shah issued an interim stay order against the project and directed the government to submit complete record of the project besides the EIA report within 30 days.