LAHORE – Wrapping up the Katas Raj case, the Supreme Court (SC) on Monday ordered DG Khan Cement Company Limited to deposit Rs100 million into the SC Dam Fund.
Rs80m has been charged as a cost for water used by the factory in production while remaining Rs20m is a penalty imposed by the court for misleading it in the case.
Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar issued the orders while hearing the suo motu case at Lahore Registry after media highlighted that the historic pond at Katas Raj temples in Chakwal, a revered site for Hindus, is said to have depleted due to operations in the vicinity of several cement factories that have sucked out the underground water.
The court, during the hearing, was informed that underground water level had severely reduced due to drill bores by the cement factories in the area, causing problems for local people as well.
The top court, subsequently, barred the cement factories from extracting groundwater.
A special committee, formed by the court to visit the DG Cement factory and evaluate his water storage, submitted its report to the court today.
The top judge remarked that the company misled the court by stating that it has stored rainwater for utilisation. The chief justice said that the company was actually using groundwater.
According to a Hindu legend, Lord Shiva cried on the death of his wife Sati and his tear formed Katas Raj pond. Temples of Shiva, Ram and Hanuman were built around this pond.
Temples built at least more than a century ago are connected to one another by walkways. The name of the temple complex, located near Kallar Kahar, is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘kataksha’ which means ‘tearful eyes’ and every spring and autumn, Hindu pilgrims from Pakistan and India visit the pond to bathe and ‘wash off their sins’.
The area around the Temples, the second-most sacred worship place for Hindus, is full of minerals like limestone, gypsum, coal and salt.
