SHC restrains companies from mining in Karoonjhar Mountains

Says cutting it in any matter would cause problems between Pakistan, India

HYDERABAD: The Sindh High Court temporarily restrained the companies mining mineral resources from Karoonjhar Mountains in Tharparkar on Wednesday from mining activity. In a petition filed by advocate Ghulam Mustafa Hingorjo, who pleaded the case in person, the Hyderabad Circuit Bench put the respondents including the federal and provincial secretaries and companies mining the minerals on notice for December 5.

The respondents include federal secretary for natural resources, provincial secretaries of the mines and mineral development and forest and wildlife departments, the Frontier Works Organization, Tharparkar deputy commissioner, M/S Thar Mineral Processing and M/S Kohenoor Marble Industries. The petitioner pleaded that the 30-kilometer long mountain range, which is around 1,100 feet above the sea level in the desert district, is a nature park besides being a natural boundary between Pakistan and India.

"Karoonjhar is also one of the natural boundary walls [between Pakistan and India]. Its cutting in any manner...will create problems." It is located near the edge of Runn of Kutch. The mountain contains granite and crystalline rocks besides clay. It is partly covered with forests and pasturages while two springs, Achelswar and Sardharo, also flow from it besides the seasonal rain-fed streams, Bhetiani and Gordhro.

The importance of preserving the Karoonjhar Mountains

Advocate Hingorjo claimed that the private respondents, including FWO, Thar Mineral Processing, and Kohenoor Marble Industries have been cutting the mountain for a long time. He contended that the provincial government leased out the mountain to the private respondents without the consent of local people.

He claimed that the companies mining the minerals did not construct roads and destroyed the existing infrastructure by moving the heavy machinery. The private respondents, he added, also did not provide welfare facilities to the public.

Photo: Express

According to him, the local community and their political representatives have time and again held protests against the companies and their activities. He stated that the district and session court Tharparkar, prime minister and the provincial government have also taken notice of their complaints and protests.

"The mountain is also the place where martyred Rooplo Kolhi waged war against the British army during the war of independence."  He prayed the court to declare the mountain a nature park which is a bastion of thousands of years old civilizations and cultural heritage.

The court was also requested to direct the government to submit in the court that under which law they accorded permits to the private respondents for mining activity. The court has fixed the hearing for December 5.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 14^th, 2019.