LAHORE - The Supreme Court on Monday disposed of the Katas Raj case and ordered DG Khan Cement Company Limited to deposit Rs100 million into the SC dam fund. The cement factory will deposit Rs80m as payment for water utilised by it and Rs20m as penalty for attempting to mislead the apex court.

The cement factory is located near Kalar Kahar. The court held that the factory was being run on the Katas Raj water which was being pulled through tube wells. The court also restrained the factory owner from pumping out water anymore.

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar issued the directives at the Lahore Registry while hearing a suo motu case initiated after media reports that the Katas Raj temple pond  considered sacred by Hindus was drying out. During earlier hearings of the case, the bench had been told that nearby cement factories had sucked up large quantities of groundwater through a number of drill bores.

  The bores had severely reduced subsoil water levels and affected water usage of domestic users, as well as causing the pond’s water levels to drop.