A month after the closure of Monal Restaurant, the Ministry of Climate Change and Pakistan Environment Protection Agency issued notices to two other hilltop eateries, La Montana and Gloria Jeans, to immediately stop operating in the National Park.
The restaurants were established without environmental approvals while the managements didn’t provide plans for solid waste management, sewerage water, and drinking water supply despite several notices.
“The Islamabad High Court, in its orders dated January 11, 2021, observed that protection of ecosystems and natural habitat is a constitutional obligation of the state, its institutions, and public dignitaries,” it stated. “The destruction of the national park is violative of the fundamental rights of the people of Pakistan and saving it from harm is the inviolable duty of the State.”
The notification issued under section 16 (2) of EPA Act 1997 cited.
The law permits:
- Immediate to stoppage, preventing, lessening or controlling the discharge, emission, disposal, handling, act or omission, or to minimize or remedy the adverse environmental effect.
- Installation, replacement or alteration of any equipment or thing to eliminate or control or abate on a permanent or temporary basis, such discharge, emission, disposal, handling, act or omission.
- Action to remove or otherwise dispose of the effluent, waste, air pollutant, noise, or hazardous substances.
- Action to restore the environment to the condition existing prior to such discharge, disposal, handling, act or omission, or as close to such condition as may be reasonable in the circumstances, to the satisfaction of the Federal Agency or Provincial Agency.
Last month, the Islamabad High Court ordered authorities to seal Islamabad’s Monal Restaurant.
The National Park’s land belongs to the state and no commercial activities can be carried out here, the court ruled.
