KARACHI: A Sindh High Court (SHC) bench, headed by its Chief Justice Maqbool Baqar, granted extension in a stay order already issued against the construction of two nuclear power plants – K-II and K-III till November 12.
The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission requested the court to allow construction to begin, claimed that the stay order was losses to the tune of Rs600 million on a daily basis.
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The petition was filed by filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, physicist Dr Pervez Amirali Hoodbhoy, physicist Dr Abdul Hameed Nayyar and architect Arif Belgaumi, claiming that the construction was not compliance with the environmental laws.
The Pakistan Atomic Regulatory Authority and Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, however, submitted their replies, denying the allegations. They claimed that all the legal formalities have been met with. They said there was no need under the law to conduct a public hearing before the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency’s approval.
They maintained that the reactors being installed are completely safe. Two of such reactors are already operating in China. They further said that the plants are being installed in such a way that they will remain safe from a tsunami or an earthquake. At the next hearing, petitioners’ lawyer Abdul Sattar Pirzada will file replies.
