Islamabad: The Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science, and Technology (FUUAST) has been fined Rs1 million by the Environmental Protection Tribunal (EPT) for violating Section 12 of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act 1997 (PEPA 1997) during the construction of the university.
Despite repeated notices and show cause issued by the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA), the university failed to seek environmental approval from the agency.
In its complaint to the tribunal, Pak-EPA accused FUUAST of being the project proponent and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) responsible for the development and management of all affairs as per its laws and regulations in the federal capital territory.
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According to Pak-EPA, FUUAST had not obtained environmental approval for the project under Section 12 of the PEPA 1997 and IEE/EIA regulations 2000.
Site inspections of the university were conducted by the EPA team on December 16, 2020, followed by a hearing notice held on February 15, 2021, which was not attended by the University and CDA officials.
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The tribunal decision noted that the project proponent had to ensure measures for the development of the project as per the CDA Laws, Rules, and Regulations and provision of the PEPA 1997.
The agency served another notice on March 29, 2021, for a personal hearing attended by the CDA officials and not the FUUAST representatives. The decision of the tribunal imposed a fine on FUUAST for flouting environmental regulations.