MITHI: Leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) Tharparkar chapter have announced filing a petition in Sindh High Court seeking implementation of the ban it had imposed on the extraction of precious granite stones from Karoonjhar hills for the construction of small dams in Parkar region.

The PTI leaders Krishan Sharma, Fakir Irshad Kumbhar, Dr Shankar Vankwani and others said at a press conference at Islamkot Press Club on Wednesday that the contractors, in violation of the court orders, were once again using granite of the hills in the construction of small dams at different points around Karoonjhar.

They said that instead of using stones and gravel extracted from specified points, the contractors had been using the stones and gravel of the Karoonjhar hills in complete violation of the orders. A double bench of Sindh High Court had had issued orders a year back banning the extraction of granite from any point of the hills, they said, adding the order was passed on a petition filed by leaders of Karoonjhar Sujag Forum.

They made it clear that they were not against the construction of small dams for storing rainwater during monsoon season but they were opposed to the selection of the sites for the reservoirs, which were completely infeasible and it looked Pakistan Peoples Party rulers were using the dam project to commit corruption and damage Karoonjhar hills.

They said that locals had repeatedly raised objections over the selected sites and pointed out that work on the massive project had begun when Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim was chief minister of Sindh and all dams were designed after carrying out studies and feasibility reports to enable people of the whole region to equally benefit from the stored rainwater.

But the dams being constructed under the supervision of PPP rulers were not only wastage of public money but they would also prove to be of little use both to farmers and general public, they said.

“The PPP rulers, particularly the party’s lawmakers from Tharparkar, are only busy minting money through such faulty and infeasible projects in a sensitive region,” they said and announced filing a fresh petition in Sindh High Court against the continuation of illegal and corrupt practices in the name of the dams.

Leaders of the recently formed Karoonjhar Sujag Forum Allah Rakhio Khoso, Zulfikar Ali Khoso, Ramesh Karoonjhari and others, endorsed PTI leaders’ viewpoint and deplored that the fresh move by rulers to allow contractors to use granite and gravel in the construction of waterworks and small dams was a serious blow to efforts for the conservation of natural beauty of the hills.

They demanded the Sindh government take notice of the illegal stone extraction by the contractors in the light of Sindh High Court’s orders, which had imposed complete ban on the extraction of minerals from Karoonjhar hills.

Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2021