Islamabad : The Capital Development Authority (CDA) had rescheduled a public hearing from March 31 to April 7 at Convention Center Islamabad in Islamabad to discuss the dumping of Islamabad’s waste on Chak Belli Road at Losar in the suburbs of Rawalpindi. However, the Punjab Environment Protection Department objected to the hastily called public debate, citing violations of section 9(3) of environmental regulation. The department also raised objections to the location of the public hearing, which was 50 kilometers away from the project site, making it difficult for local residents to attend.
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The Rawalpindi administration had allocated 1200-kanal of land to the CDA in Mauza Losar to dump the capital’s waste, violating the court order. Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner had given formal permission to the CDA to dump all garbage and hospital waste from Islamabad at the Losar dumping site. However, local residents announced plans to challenge the deputy commissioner’s notification in the high court with a contempt petition.
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The locals argued that instead of moving the waste dumping site to Mandra-Chakwal Road, the Rawalpindi administration had allowed the CDA to dispose of waste at Losar, further exacerbating health problems in the area. 
The construction of a new dumping ground for Islamabad would also lead to the shutting down of 15 brick kilns in Losar and nearby villages, rendering thousands of workers jobless. The high court had earlier ruled that the garbage dumping site at Losar, which covers 1,250-kanal, was illegal and unlawful, and the site should be shifted to Mandra Road.
The Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the Punjab Environment Protection Department have agreed to hold a new public hearing on April 7th, Friday at 11:00 am to obtain a no-objection certificate for the waste dumping project in Mauza Losar. The CDA had failed to obtain the certificate promptly, and the public hearing was previously cancelled due to objections from the Punjab Environment Protection Department. Meanwhile, local residents have conducted a grand jirga and declared that they will not allow garbage trucks to dump waste at Losar after Eid-ul-Fitr.
