MITHI: A large number of the poets, writers, rights activists and the common people coming from different parts of Sindh on Sunday registered their strong protest against the provincial government’s decision to allow granite extraction at the heritage site of Karoonjhar Hills.

The call for the gathering at the foothills of Karoonjhar, under the banner of “I am the custodian of Karoonjhar”, was given by the Sindhi Adabi Sangat, which strongly opposes quarrying at certain points of the site.

The protesters were carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans of “complete preservation and protection of Karoonjhar Hills”.

Noor Chakrani, Dr Niaz Kalani, Ameer Azad Panhwar, Dr Mushtaq Phull and other literati in their fiery speeches lashed out at the provincial government for its recent decision to protect “only 21,000 acres” of Karoonjhar Mountain Range, and not the entire heritage site.

They noted that the Sindh cabinet had directed the culture department to notify its decision which, they said was just to show compliance of the relevant orders of Sindh High Court’s Mirpurkhas bench.

They apprehended that such decisions taken by the provincial cabinet were “a step towards selling out the granite deposits in the Kharsar area and other parts of the Parkar region”.

They demanded that the entire region – stretched over 200,000 acres and housing several hundred small and big hills/mountains -- must be declared ‘protected site’.

They noted that people of this region had been struggling for long to ensure preservation of the entire region which, they said, had its unique cultural, religious, geographic and demographic significance as mentioned in various studies conducted by researchers.

Rejecting Sindh government’s decision to allow quarrying in the region, they said: “Mining or excavation to extract granite will badly damage the ecology of the whole region”.

The literati and civil society activists accused the ruling party of having hatched a conspiracy to destroy the heritage site by allowing granite extraction.

They resolved to continue and intensify their resistance to foil the conspiracy by raising their voice at all forums, besides within their respective areas.

Advocate Shankar Meghwar, who had move the judiciary against granite extraction in the region, reiterated his firm resolve to keep challenging the Sindh government’s unacceptable decisions.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2024