Environmental adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan urged stronger institutional capacity, transparency and accountability in pollution control and law enforcement, saying erroneous environmental clearances are unacceptable. “Law enforcement is not simply about fines,” she said, adding that transparency, alternative measures and public participation must accompany enforcement.

Rizwana called for priority action against major polluters such as dyeing factories, cement plants and brick kilns, and urged authorities to identify the worst offenders and take planned, budgeted measures against them. “Publish the names of polluters. If information is open, the public will help resist political pressure,” she said.

She strongly criticized grants of clearance to establish waste-disposal centres in flood-flow zones or environmentally sensitive areas, calling such permits illegal and irresponsible. “Even under political pressure, objections must be raised. If you cannot perform your duties, be transferred — but never compromise the environment,” she said, citing an instance where a polluting ceramic factory received a national award as an example of misplaced rewards. “Polluters should be punished, not rewarded.”