ISLAMABAD, Dec 14: The federal capital is likely to come under the virtual control of the environment ministry or other environment protection bodies as the government has decided to turn Islamabad into a “Green City” with a view to controlling pollution by regulating all development and non-development activities.

“Islamabad will become the first city in the country to have the status of green city,” Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) Director-General Asif Shuja told Dawn on Friday.

Green city is an internationally recognised term and there is a complete set of guidelines to turn a town into a green city.

Under the project, stakeholders including environmentalists, government officials, people in construction industries, vehicle registration authority/transport companies, owners of brick kilns and industries, development authorities and educational institutions will shortly be called for a meeting in which the plan of green city would be discussed and suggestions will be sought for any amendments and effective implementation.

Giving details of the green city programme, the Pak-EPA director-general said all government and private organisations and even individuals would have to act in line with the green city requirements.

For example, the CDA will have to execute development work while ensuring that its activities do not harm the city’s environment. It will be required to preserve green belts/areas, and control the release of effluents from all industries running in Islamabad like steel-rolling mills, marble factories and brick kilns. The CDA will be devising its rule in conformity with the green city programme.

Similarly, traffic police and vehicle registration authorities will have to check smoke-emitting vehicles and take other steps like imposition of ban on 10 years old public transport vehicles.

Educational institutions will have to raise awareness among students and launch campaigns for the protection of environment.

Oil refineries will have to cut sulphur level in petroleum products so that the level of carbon dioxide could be diminished.

Similarly, the use of plastic bags will be banned and strict laws would be made to stop their production at all levels.

The Pak-EPA official said the main objective behind launching the green city programme was to meet the requirement of Euro-II, an international standard of environment protection. He said many countries fulfilled the requirement of Euro-III and now they were trying to meet the standard of Euro-IV.

Meanwhile, the environment ministry had directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to prepare a PC-I of the programme.

A meeting presided over by the caretaker federal environment minister, Wajid Hussain Bukhari, on Friday discussed the proposal of making the capital a green city.