ISLAMABAD, Feb 22: The Supreme Court on Friday highlighted the need for relocating factories and industrial units from the residential areas on priority basis to clamp down on environmental pollution and health hazards.

“To save Pakistan’s future generation from the hazards posed by environmental degradation and pollution, implementation of relevant laws and rules should be ensured in letter and spirit,” Justice Mohammad Nawaz Abbasi observed.

Justice Abbasi was heading a two-member bench that had taken up an appeal of Mohammad Shafiq against the Lahore High Court order to relocate such industries.

The petitioner is owner of one of the recycling plants from amongst a cluster of units situated at Hudiyara Drainage area adjacent Burki, Defence Road, Lahore producing industrial use oil from animal and poultry waste, thus causing putrid odour and health hazards due to the environmental pollution.

The residents living in the area had complained about the unchecked burning by these recycling plants using animal and poultry waste to produce oil for industrial use.

The emission due to open burning of such waste in mega size containers produced stench and odour posing grave health concerns.

Advocate Amir Alam Khan, the legal counsel for the petitioner, told Dawn that the appeal had been instituted before the apex court against the order of the high court, which ordered to relocate the unit despite the fact that the matter was pending before the Lahore Environmental Protection tribunal on the complaint of a non-governmental organisation — Pathfinder — accusing the relevant authorities for being oblivious of the environmental hazards.

During the hearing, the Supreme Court appointed senior lawyer and Senator Babar Awan as amicus curaie (friend of the court) to assist it in the public interest issue.

Dr Awan is required to consider the ground situation and make practical proposals for implementing environmental laws in the country in letter and spirit when the court will resume hearing on March 4.

We as a nation, Justice Abbasi observed, had to come up with all seriousness ultimately to address the pollution issue for which the environmental rules had to be implemented to save the future generations of Pakistan from the environmental hazards.

The judge also said that all those factories and industrial units which caused health hazards should be relocated out of the residential areas on priority basis.