The Supreme Court Tuesday imposed a fine on the Punjab government for failing to submit a report regarding the scale of water utilisation from a pond Katas Raj temple through sub-soil wells by nearby cement factories in a suo motu case. A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar and comprising Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan imposed Rs 100, 000 fine on the provincial government for not complying its directive given on December 13, 2017 regarding the report.
The court had taken up the case based on reports that the Katas Raj temple complex pond was drying up because the cement factories nearby were drawing a huge amount of water through a number of sub-soil wells. During the course of proceedings, the chief justice remarked that the pond and the temple at Katas Raj needed to be restored.
He remarked that the court wanted to resolve the matter as the water in the pond was decreasing due to use by the cement factories, which should make other arrangements. The chief justice observed that the cement factories could continue to use the pond water for a certain time period, but they should make alternative arrangements as the SC would order closure of the tube-wells.
He ordered the factories to give the court a time-line for making alternate arrangements. The court also observed that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor was afflict with many conflicts, which it wanted to resolve and for the purpose he had summoned all the high court chief justices.
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