Supreme Court Fines Punjab Govt Rs100,000 For Failing To Fill Katas Raj Pond

Supreme Court fines Punjab govt Rs100,000 for failing to fill Katas Raj pond

ISLAMABAD:(Pakistan Point News - 30th Jan, 2018 ) The Supreme Court of Pakistan imposed on Tuesday a fine of Rs100,000 on the Punjab government and issued a notice to Evacuee Trust Property board (ETPB) Chairman Siddiqueul Farooq in the Katas Raj case. The three-member bench expressed its reservation on the absence of Punjab Chief Secretary Zahid Saeed and chairman of the Planning and Development Commission in today’s suo motu hearing.

The chief justice remarked that if the water of the pond adjacent to Katas Raj temple is depleting because of the cement factories located close to it, then the factories should make other arrangements to get water. The historic pond, a revered site for Hindus, is said to have depleted due to the operations of cement factories nearby which have sucked out the underground water. Chief Justice Nisar stated that Katas Raj’s temple and pond should be restored to its original state.

He observed that China Pakistan Economic Corridor is an important developmental project for Pakistan, adding that the court wants the resolution of all disputes related to it. During the hearing, the chief justice came down hard on Farooq, asking how long will political appointments continue to be made in the country. In its previous hearing, the Supreme Court had also lashed out at the ETPB, which looks after affairs of minorities' properties in the country, and its chairman Farooq.

During the hearing, the chief justice had summoned from the ETPB details of the properties operated by it and the funds generated from them. The chief justice warned that if the details are not presented at the next hearing, Farooq should leave his post. “Where institutions will not do anything, we will,” he remarked, adding that in such cases there should be no complaints of the court exceeding its jurisdiction.