A food company has been "requested' by the Sindh Wildlife Department (SWD) to halt work on a proposed dairy farm, since it is located in a protected area where such activities are strictly restricted and require a specialised assessment on environmental impact, Dawn has learnt. The model Engro Dairy Farm is being established in Deh Gandahoo, taluka Salehpat, Nara Game Reserve in Sukker district, which is protected under the Sindh Wildlife Protection Ordinance 1972. The Federal Minister for Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis, Syed Khursheed Shah, was the chief guest at the farm's ground-breaking ceremony, held on May 25 at the site of the Engro Foods Limited Plant in Rohri. Engro Foods Ltd. submitted a preliminary environmental impact assessment to the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency but this does not meet the legal requirements for a protected area. When contacted by Dawn, a spokesperson said that the company had been unaware that the chosen site required a more specialised impact assessment study. Sepa, on its part, gave an immediate approval without checking whether the site fell within a protected area. The environmental protection laws require an Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) to be carried out before any industry or commercial concern is established anywhere, unless the site falls within a protected or ecologically sensitive area. In this case, the more specialised Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is necessary. These studies, the IEE or EIA depending on the site of the project, must be submitted with Sepa for obtaining the approval or no-objection certificate that are required before work may be initiated on the site. Reliable sources informed Dawn that Engro Foods Ltd. submitted an IEE report with Sepa without informing the environmental protection agency that the project site was within a protected area. Meanwhile, they said, Sepa gave immediate approval to the company to carry out the work and failed to check whether the project area fell within a protected area. The sources further explained that the IEE was conducted by a company that is owned by a close relative of a person with a long-term association with Sepa, and also provides technical assistance to the organisation regulating environmental laws. "The influence of the company that carried out the IEE can be gauged from the fact that the IEE report was submitted,