Sindh’s Environmental Protection Agency has released a notification for the most contentious recent scheme, i.e., Creek Marina. The reason behind the notice is the failure to seek and obtain clearance from the Agency under Section-17 of the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency Act, 2014, for Environmental Impact Assessment or Initial Environmental Review. The Agency has summoned Creek Marina officials to testify in person on Feb 15 to explain their role in the absence of legal action against them.

About Creek Marina DHA Karachi

Creek Marina, in DHA Karachi, is a high-rise ocean-front residential project under development.

Launched as a joint venture project between the Meinhardt Group and DHA in 2005. And Hirsch Bedner Associates designed its masterplan. Eight 24-story buildings with a total of 780 homes are part of the project’s masterplan. The original completion of the construction was estimated by 2009 but had been repeatedly delayed. But the disputes between Meinhardt and DHA have stalled the project’s development. However, Out of 780, 280 apartments were sold at an average price of $200,000 by 2010. So the buyers formed an Action Committee in 2011 to request either a refund or completion of the scheme. On August 20, 2015, the National Accountability Bureau brought charges against the Creek Marina Project administration for public cheating.

Back Ground of Creek Marina Project

A Singaporean national, known as Dr. Shahzad Nasim, was expected to carry out this project more than a decade ago. Then he re-launched the same old wine in a new bottle in yet another effort to draw well-off Pakistanis and invest in this Ponzi scheme.

It is important to note here that Dr. Shahzad Nasim, a high roller in Pakistan is again designing the project with tremendous power and esteem. It is without simple and fundamental accordance with the law and building regulations.

Documents made available to the Court show that the building authority and environmental agencies have not secured the scheme’s requisite approval. More significantly, the claim was that the property of the project was illegal.

However, on Feb 15, under section 21(1) of the Sindh Environmental Protection Act, the Environmental Protection Agency of Sindh finally took notice and summoned officials from the Creek Marina scheme.

More Details

A copy of the note, made available, states that environmental assessment is compulsory under the terms of the Sindh Environmental Protection Act, 2014. It reproduces Section 17 of the Act as follows:

“No project proponent shall commence construction or operation unless he has submitted an initial environmental review to the Federal/Provincial Agency. Or where the project is likely to cause adverse environmental effects. Further, it has obtained an environmental impact assessment from the approval of the Provincial Agency.”

WHEREAS, you are required to obtain the Initial Environmental Examination or Environmental Impact Assessment. Also, you need to obtain approval from the Agency under Section 17 of the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency Act, 2014, as the proponent of a scheme for the construction of several buildings in Phase VIII, Defense Officers Housing Authority, Karachi.

The warning states that “you have not complied with section 17 of the Supra Act, a violation of the Creek Marina Project.”

The Agency has warned of legal action if Creek Marina’s management fails to respond/appear as instructed.

Thus, the Creek Marina Victims are anxiously waiting for the developer to respond and to get ownership of Creek Marina.