HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad circuit bench of the Sindh High Court on Tuesday directed secretaries of culture, tourism and forests to file comments within a week on a petition against extraction of granite from Karoonjhar Hills and observed that status quo on mining and quarrying activities at the hills ordered earlier would remain intact.

The division bench comprising Justices Mohammad Shafi Siddiqui and Arshad Hussain Khan said if the officers failed to comply with the order the secretary concerned would be called to appear in person. The court fixed the hearing for Aug 22.

The petitioner, Shankar Lal Meghwar, informed the bench that since the auction of granite extraction from Karoojhar Hills had been withdrawn the only prayer left to be considered was declaration of the mountain as heritage under relevant law.

Meghwar, who was pleading his own petition, cited the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act, 1904, and the Sindh Cultural Heritage (Preservation) Act, 1994, in support of his arguments.

Respondent secretary of Mines and Minerals Development Department, director general and assistant director filed their comments jointly, stating that the advertisement for the auction notice had been withdrawn and the auction had been cancelled.

They said that the petitioner was no more aggrieved party and hence the petition was not maintainable in the eyes of law, therefore the same be dismissed.

About para-8 of the petition, they stated that Tharparkar district was rich in mineral resources including granite, china clay, lake salt, iron ore and others and if these minerals were excavated they could contribute to betterment of economic conditions and national exchequer, poverty reduction and provision of jobs to locals.

They said that the respondent DG had issued the notice but the same was cancelled.

About para-9 of the petition the respondents said that the notice was not about cutting Karoonjhar mountain but for cutting other small hills of granite which were far away from Nagarparkar, still the auction notice had been cancelled.

The petitioner prayed the court to suspend the auction notification dated July 22 which was issued by the DG and requested the bench to “declare Karoonjhar mountains as historical, traditional, world cultural heritage and tourist point of Sindh”.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2023