ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has ordered one of the cement factories in Chakwal to fill up the fabled pond in the Hindu temples at Katas Raj within one week, expressing concern over the swift depletion natural resources in the Potohar region.

Alongside the instructions issued to Bestway Cement, a three-judge Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, also directed the Punjab government to submit a comprehensive report explaining the scale of aquifer utilisation by nearby cement factories, and asked them to measure air pollution levels from these factories, if any.

The report should also come out with facts about the number of operational drill bores, as well as the production capacity of these factories, the court said.

The court also summoned complete details of all properties under the control of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), as well as details of how many are under litigation. The bench also expressed dismay with the trend of filling the key post with a party loyalist by successive governments.

The bench had initiated suo motu proceedings on media reports that the Katas Raj pond was drying out due to the massive water consumption by nearby cement factories.

ETPB claims Hindu deities were removed from temple following Babri Mosque incident

Additional Advocate General Punjab Asma Hamid had told the court that Bestway Cement was sucking out 80,000 gallons of water per day through drill bores.

Meanwhile, ETPB explained to the court that deities were removed from the Sri Hanuman and Sri Ram temples inside Katas Raj after the 1992 Babri Mosque incident, to preempt a reaction from locals. At a previous hearing, the bench had deplored the absence of any deities at the temples, which forced worshippers to bring along their own idols.

Partab Bajaj, who led a group of Hindu pilgrims that visited Pakistan recently, had promised to arrange some deities from India by February 2018. Deities from the Indian city of Pahar Ganj are especially sacred because they are carved out of marble, the bench was told.

The report explained that the decision to keep the temples closed was made in view of the sanctity of the temples, which were only opened for worshipers.

The chief justice expressed dismay at the damage done to the environment, adding that it was painful to see the hills of the Salt Range – visible from the M2 motorway – vanishing due to unabated quarrying.

On Wednesday, Chakwal-resident Waseem Ahmed Raja of Moza Mallot also moved an application highlighting that no comprehensive hydrological survey had been conducted in the area to determine the water balance necessary to sustain the aquifer.

Meanwhile, Bestway Cement Financial Director Mr Kamran sought time to engage counsel, and told the court that the factory commenced operations in 2006 and had a production capacity of 6,000 tons per day. The factory was built on 3,000 acres, situated at a distance of 2.6 km from the temple.

Advocate Salman Akram Raja, representing DG Khan Cement, told the court that his client’s unit become operational in 2007 and had a capacity of 6,700 tons per day, but was located 13 to 20km from Katas Raj.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2017