Controlled explosions are commonplace in the limestone quarries outside Taxila. It is here that a group of dedicated workers are chipping away at the hills, bit by bit, in an effort to earn a living for themselves.

Even though mechanisation has taken the business of crushing rocks down to a manageable level, work on the hills around Taxila takes place mostly by hand.

The stones and rocks quarried here are not only used in construction sites across the region, especially Islamabad and Rawalpindi, but are also shipped to other parts of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

The workers first drill holes into the tough rock formations, creating spaces for dynamite to be placed carefully among the cracks. The explosives are then triggered and larger rocks are brought down to size, allowing the manual labour to begin working on refining the product.

Mechanical shovels and crushers supplement the efforts of the men that work here. Hardened like the rock around them, the men with hammers can pound any stone into submission. Shovelled into the conveyer belt so they can be shifted to trucks that will transport to their eventual destinations, these rocks are sent to cement factories and construction sites in nearly all nearby districts and towns.

Most of the men that work here are Pakhtuns and Afghans, who have moved here from their native areas because they can earn a living and take care of their families through the work they find here. The skilled workers who can expertly handle explosives are the highest paid here, followed by the ones that operate the machinery.

Published in Dawn January 18th , 2015

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