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Police
favour law-violating influential person:
Hush the generator, demand annoyed neighbours
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Complainant says it is revolting that EPD officials and police
allowed reinstallation of generator despite offender’s harsh
attitude towards them
By Afnan Khan
LAHORE: The police are favouring an influential Gulberg resident
despite clear violations of law - threatening government officials
and using an electricity generator without a soundproof canopy.
Mrs Imtiaz, a resident of 292-A/1, Gulberg III, submitted an
application to the Environment Department against her influential
neighbour for using generators without installing any additional
equipment to curb pollution.
The Environment Protection Department (EPD) officials, after
arriving at the spot, issued a notice to the people using illegal
generators, however, the offenders not only tore the notice but also
abused the officials and warned them to leave or face dire
consequences. The EPD inspectors lodged a first information report
(FIR) with the Ghalib Market Police against the offenders for
violating the law and threatening department officials.
The department later handed over a notice to the offenders and
confiscated the generator, on the grounds that it was illegal to use
a generator without a soundproof canopy, the pollution was adversely
affecting the locals and the offenders threatened and insulted EPD
officials.
However, the same area’s police later registered a counter FIR
against the EPD officials, alleging that they broke into their
premises and stole the offenders’ generator, cancelling the FIR
registered by the department. The department’s officials later
handed over the generator to the offenders, who have installed it
again.
Revolting: Mrs Imtiaz said the way the EPD officials and the police
were first insulted by her neighbours and the way they later
supported the re-installation of the generator was revolting. She
said the offender claimed to be a personal secretary to Punjab Chief
Minister Shahbaz Sharif, adding that he came into the street and
warned all the neighbours against saying anything when the generator
was reinstalled. “The authorities just sent us back and forth from
one official to the other. What was the use if the generator was
going to get reinstalled anyway? This is exactly the type of acts
that have made citizens loose faith in the law enforcing agencies,”
the resident said.
EDO (Environment) Tariq Zaman said his department took appropriate
action under the powers vested in it by confiscating the generator.
He said the problem occurred due to the police officers concerned,
as they not only supported the offenders, but also filed counter
FIRs against the department’s officials. He regretted being forced
to return the generator when the police registered the counter FIR.
Model Town Superintendent of Police Rana Ayaz Saleem denied
supporting the offenders. To a question, he said he was not aware of
the current status of the case and would explain the situation after
discussing it with the Gulberg ASP.
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