SC orders cement factory to fill Katas Raj pond in a week

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar ordered the Bestway Cement Factory on Wednesday to refill the Katas Raj pond within one week.

The orders were given during the hearing of the suo motu case on the depletion of the pond located at the site of Hindus in Chakwal.

The historic pond is said to have depleted due to the presence of nearby cement factories which have sucked out the underground water. 

As the hearing went under way, a representative of the cement factory informed the three-member bench that senior lawyer Babar Sattar has been appointed as their counsel. However, he added that their counsel, as well as the company's head who is in London, could not appear in court today. 

The chief justice asked the company official who gave them the right to use underground water? 

When asked how much water is used by the factory daily, the official answered: 80,000 gallons. 

The chief justice observed that Bestway Cement has damaged the environment of Chakwal and adjoining areas, and remarked that the company needs to do "whatever it takes to fill the pond". The court then ordered the company to fill the pond within a week. 

During the hearing, the chief justice noted the presence of DG Khan Cement Factory's counsel Salman Akram Raja — a senior lawyer. 

Chief Justice Nisar observed that if the environment above the ground is adversely affected then all the factories will be closed down. 

There will be no compromise on Katas Raj temple, observes SC

CJP remarked that mills near Katas Raj should be shut down if necessary.

He remarked that the factories have sucked the water for their use, bringing misery to the average folk.

Raja responded that his company is not part of the problem, saying they produce the permitted level of cement. 

'Natural beauty has been destroyed' 

"Whenever I use [Lahore-Islamabad] motorway I am saddened that the natural beauty has been destroyed. The mountains there have been destroyed and dug up," observed the chief justice. 

The Bestway official said the mountains along the motorway have not been dug up by them.

The chief justice observed that they have understood this much that the elite has destroyed the natural beauty. "Don’t make people’s lives miserable on the excuse of exporting cement," he stated.

Justice Bandial observed why there is no depth limit when taking water out of the ground, stating further that the Potohar region is already facing water shortage.

'Have seen Karachi’s situation, now it’s Punjab’s turn'

During the hearing, the assistant advocate general Punjab informed the bench that the Bestway factory has installed a turbine illegally. 

In response, the chief justice ordered to immediately close down the illegal turbine. "Is there no law for the elite in this country," he asked. 

The court also summoned the report on the environmental impact of the factories in Zone B. 

Absence of Hindu deities' statues at Katas Raj irks Supreme Court

Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan questions ETBP's counsel whether the statues are with the institution or have they lost it

The chief justice said that the judiciary is a part of the state and will not step out of its jurisdiction. "We will intervene where there is laxity. Have seen Karachi’s situation, now it’s Punjab’s turn," he remarked. 

The hearing was then adjourned for two weeks. 

At the last hearing on Tuesday, the chief justice had expressed concern on the absence of statues of Hindu deities in the Katas Raj temples.

During the proceedings, the Evacuee Trust Board Property (ETBP)'s counsel contended that there had been massive financial irregularities in the organisation during the tenure of former chairman Asif Hashmi.

On November 2, the chief justice took a suo motu notice of the drying out of the Katas Raj pond in Chakwal.