Provincial Minister for Environment Protection Punjab Muhammad Rizwan said on Saturday that the owners of residential colonies in all districts of Punjab should provide clean drinking water and other housing facilities to the residents as per law and to ensure this at district level, review committees had been formed.
Assistant Commissioners (ACs) of the four tehsils of Sialkot district would submit a detailed report on the approved and unapproved land subdivisions and housing societies established in their tehsils.
He expressed these views while addressing a meeting of local authorities of relevant departments held at DC Office Committee Room, to ensure implementation of laws and SOPs in housing societies in the district.
Deputy Commissioner Sialkot Tahir Farooq, COMCS Zubair Wattoo, CEO District Council Faisal Shehzad, DO Environment Imtiaz Ahmed and concerned officials of relevant departments were also present on the occasion.
Provincial Minister for Environment Protection Punjab Muhammad Rizwan said it was the responsibility of all approved housing societies to ensure supply of drinking water certified by Punjab Environment Quality Standard or Food Authority to their residents as per law.
He said that the societies would also be responsible for setting up wastewater treatment plant.
All the operational NOCs issued to the housing societies would be reviewed and action would be taken against the societies which failed to provide quality services and their NOCs would also be canceled, the Minister added.
Muhammad Rizwan said that Sialkot was being made a model district in terms of housing societies.
He said that weekly meetings would be held to ensure the implementation of rules and regulations in housing societies and these pilot projects would be implemented in all districts of the province.
The Provincial Minister said that strict action should be taken against the housing societies which were causing environmental pollution.
On this occasion, Deputy Commissioner Tahir Farooq while briefing the Provincial Minister said that under the Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Package, liquid wastewater treatment plant was under construction in the metropolitan corporation Sialkot north zone and 76 acres of land had been acquired for this purpose.
The Deputy Commissioner said that the entire north zone city wastewater through the sewerage line would be processed and re-used.
This water would be used for agriculture and natural water resources would also be protected from contamination.
Tahir Farooq said that clear billboards of approved map 40 by 40 feet were being installed outside all approved housing societies.
Under construction commercial buildings would be required to display approved signboards outside their under-construction buildings, he said.
He said that officers and employees who showed negligence in performing their duties would be held accountable and no concessions would be made to anyone in this regard.
Later, Provincial Minister for Environment Protection Punjab Muhammad Rizwan also inspected District Disaster Control Room, ongoing development projects and renovation projects in the city. Deputy Commissioner Tahir Farooq also gave a detailed briefing to the minister regarding the ongoing development projects and construction work.
