<b>Where laws are sidelined</b><br />
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FOR the morally impoverished, human dignity is meaningless and laws are made to be flouted. In a brazen resort to strong-arm tactics, a local contractor supported by law enforcement personnel thrashed and injured fishermen on Bundal and Buddo islands near Karachi on Friday and evicted them from their huts. These temporary shelters were razed along with at least one permanent dwelling occupied by a couple said to be in their nineties and whose family has lived on Bundal for over a century. Tractors and other machines were then used to level land and build helipads as well as a sandy road connecting the twin islands. Some mangroves too were allegedly cut by the contractor. Clearly, the first salvo has been fired in the ‘development’ of Bundal and Buddo by the UAE-based Emaar Group, which plans to transform the islands into an exclusive enclave featuring luxury housing and recreational schemes, hotels and an offshore business district, among other facilities. The $43 billion project will imperil the livelihoods of fishing communities and decimate a thriving ecosystem located in a coastal stretch designated by conservationists as a high-priority area. Besides being denied access to marine resources in the vicinity of the islands, fishermen in the area may also lose more of their traditional fishing routes. Parts of the coastline are already out of bounds for fishing boats following the construction of the Korangi Creek air force base and the emergence of private seaside clubs. The allotment of Bundal and Buddo to the wealthy may be the last straw for many fishing families that are barely eking out a living as it is.<br />
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“Urban development and tourism†projects of this magnitude must, by law, be subject to an environmental impact assessment (EIA), as clearly stated in the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act 1997 and Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Review of IEE and EIA) Regulations 2000. Yet construction has begun on the islands without fulfilling key legal prerequisites. The Sindh government, which initially contested the islands’ allotment on the grounds that the Port Qasim Authority and the centre had no claim to the land, is now strangely silent on the issue, suggesting that a sweetener may have been offered and received. It is time for all right-thinking people to strongly oppose this perilous project.<br />
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Reference: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.dawn.com/2006/12/12/ed.htm#2" target="_blank">http://www.dawn.com/2006/12/12/ed.htm#2</a>
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FOR the morally impoverished, human dignity is meaningless and laws are made to be flouted. In a brazen resort to strong-arm tactics, a local contractor supported by law enforcement personnel thrashed and injured fishermen on Bundal and Buddo islands near Karachi on Friday and evicted them from their huts. These temporary shelters were razed along with at least one permanent dwelling occupied by a couple said to be in their nineties and whose family has lived on Bundal for over a century. Tractors and other machines were then used to level land and build helipads as well as a sandy road connecting the twin islands. Some mangroves too were allegedly cut by the contractor. Clearly, the first salvo has been fired in the ‘development’ of Bundal and Buddo by the UAE-based Emaar Group, which plans to transform the islands into an exclusive enclave featuring luxury housing and recreational schemes, hotels and an offshore business district, among other facilities. The $43 billion project will imperil the livelihoods of fishing communities and decimate a thriving ecosystem located in a coastal stretch designated by conservationists as a high-priority area. Besides being denied access to marine resources in the vicinity of the islands, fishermen in the area may also lose more of their traditional fishing routes. Parts of the coastline are already out of bounds for fishing boats following the construction of the Korangi Creek air force base and the emergence of private seaside clubs. The allotment of Bundal and Buddo to the wealthy may be the last straw for many fishing families that are barely eking out a living as it is.<br />
<br />
“Urban development and tourism†projects of this magnitude must, by law, be subject to an environmental impact assessment (EIA), as clearly stated in the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act 1997 and Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Review of IEE and EIA) Regulations 2000. Yet construction has begun on the islands without fulfilling key legal prerequisites. The Sindh government, which initially contested the islands’ allotment on the grounds that the Port Qasim Authority and the centre had no claim to the land, is now strangely silent on the issue, suggesting that a sweetener may have been offered and received. It is time for all right-thinking people to strongly oppose this perilous project.<br />
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Reference: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.dawn.com/2006/12/12/ed.htm#2" target="_blank">http://www.dawn.com/2006/12/12/ed.htm#2</a>