Plan to mine at Karoonjhar hills site shelved, PA told

Following vocal opposition by locals, the Sindh government has decided against going ahead with its plan to grant leases to private companies for mining at the protected site of the Karoonjhar hills in Nagarparkar for extracting granite.

This was stated by Sindh Minister for Mines and Mineral Development Mir Shabbir Bijarani on Monday as he was speaking on the floor of the provincial assembly on a point of personal explanation.

A day earlier, after advertisements were published in newspapers for conducting the bidding for the grant of a mining lease, some concerned quarters vehemently opposed any plan to mine the ancient Karoonjhar mountains for the extraction of any mineral.

Bijarani told the concerned lawmakers that his mines and mineral development department would never allow any mining activity at the Karoonjhar hills keeping in view the serious reservations of the concerned local people.

He said the Sindh government was well aware of the heritage status of the site and the sentimental attachment of the natives of the area to the Karoonjhar mountains, so it would never allow anyone to carry out any mining activity in the area. He informed the House that since 2018 the Sindh government had not issued any lease for mining in the area of the Karoonjhar mountains. He said that a case had been prepared to declare the Karoonjhar mountains a Unesco-recognised ancient site.

He also said that that a committee constituted earlier by the Sindh chief minister had surveyed the area and compiled a report based on the views of the local people on this issue.

Meanwhile, the mines and mineral development director general issued a formal notification for withdrawing the earlier advertisement published for conducting an auction for mining work in Nagarparkar.