MP ‘calls’ for more environment police
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Panel discusses fish kill, oil spill
KUWAIT CITY, Sept 13: MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaei has forwarded questions to Minister of Defense Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah on the Military Health Office in London.
He requested for details such as the budget of the office from 2015 until the end of August 2017, overseas treatment beneficiaries under the office, amount spent on each of these beneficiaries, committees dealing with files of these beneficiaries if any, and members of these committees.
He said there have been social media reports on referral of some Army officials to the Public Prosecution for misappropriation of public funds, while some of them were suspended from work and others were referred for retirement. If these reports are true, he asked the minister to provide details such as results of investigations and charges filed against the concerned officials.
In case the reports are false, he wants to know the measures taken to prevent the spread of baseless rumors. He went on to disclose that he obtained information on the delayed payment of some contracts without justification in an alleged bid to put pressure on signatory companies to pay commission to certain traders.
He urged the minister to clarify the issue; and if this information is false, he wants to know the reason for delaying the payment. Meanwhile, parliamentary Environment Committee Chairman MP Adel Al-Damkhi said the panel discussed a number of issues on Wednesday including the oil spill, fish kill and hunting ground regulations approved by the Environment Public Authority (EPA). He revealed the committee received a comprehensive report from EPA, detailing the procedures taken in addressing the above mentioned issues. He added the committee will meet again after two weeks to look into the results of these procedures.
He affirmed no new fish kill incident has been reported so far, thanking EPA for taking into consideration the recommendations of the Parliament in this regard. He was quick to add though that there is still more to be done; hence, the need for intensified efforts and stronger coordination between the concerned institutions to resolve these issues.
On the allegation that oil spots from a neighboring country reached Kuwait’s territorial waters; he said, “We looked into the measures taken by EPA. I do not want to preempt things nor hold accountable anyone until the results of monitoring and analyses carried out by the authority.” He also urged EPA to increase the number of environmental police in rior, adding the Attorney General must develop the environment prosecution mechanism to expedite issuance of decisions on environmental issues. He said, “We have to exert more efforts and coordinate with all relevant bodies to stop improper dumping of waste.” He added the committee also looked into the complaints of fishing enthusiasts about the law governing their hobby and the suggestion to amend the executive regulations.
By Abubakar A. Ibrahim Arab Times Staff
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