Civil Court bans granite extraction from Karoonjhar hills

KARACHI: The civil judge and judicial magistrate, Nagarparkar, Karam Ali Shah, has suspended the licences of mining companies and ordered to immediately stop the extraction work at the Karoonjhar hills in district Tharparkar.

Judge Karam Ali Shah issued these orders on Friday after examining the reports and statements of relevant departments on mining work being carried out at the Karoonjhar hills. The court declared the provision of licences to the mining companies, FWO, Koh-e-Noor and Haji Abdul Qudoos Rajer, illegal and ordered them to remove their machinery and makeshift camps from the area forthwith.

Earlier, the court also pulled up respondents No1& 2 for carrying out extraction without disclosing the lease agreement, survey reports, boundaries or any other document, including its terms and conditions. Furthermore, they did not reveal the NoCs from environmental protection agencies, Wildlife Department, Forest Department, Culture and Tourism Department and Defence Ministry of the Pakistan, which are mandatory prerequisites before starting work.

Judge Karam Ali Shah directed the officials of police, mines and minerals, district administration to ensure the ban in letter and spirit. He said that companies including Kohninoor, Frontier Works Organization and others, who claimed to have the lease of the extraction from hills will remain barred from extraction, as according to him, the illegal practice of cutting the stones was badly affecting the natural beauty of the hills, which can damage the revenue generating capacity of the tourist site. The judge said the Karoonjhar hills are a defensive wall against India’s aggression since it is located on the border.

The order further said that the respondent, M/s Kohinoor and FWO, are unconditionally directed to remove all machinery and stop working on all ranges of this mountain and any disobedience of the order of this court would bring the relevant law of 188 PPC in motion against them and all other respondents. The court directed the SSP, Tharparkar, to furnish a report in this matter on the 5th of every month and take legal action against those involved in the illegal activities of mining work. The court also directed the SSP to register an FIR U/S188 of the PPC against the companies reluctant to obey the court orders.

The Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate, Nanagar Parkar, Thar, who earlier had taken a strong notice over the unabated extraction of granite from various points from the hills, had summoned the officials and mining companies and others in his court on January 6 and 7 to explain their position on the issue.