A three-member Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar, is hearing a suo motu case based on media reports that the Katas Raj pond in Punjab province is drying out due to water consumption by nearby cement factories, Dawn News reported.
The factories are reportedly draining the pond through a number of bored wells which have reduced the subsoil water level the created shortages for domestic users as well, it said.
In the hearing of the case, the bench expressed anger over the continued absence of Bestway Cement's counsel.
The bench told the Punjab government to provide details of the conditions under which the authorities had allowed the construction of cement factories in the area.
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The court also sought reports on the environmental pollution factories cause in the area.
The prosecution claims that the cement factories in the Katas Raj temple area have worsened the risks of breast cancer and respiratory diseases among people living nearby due to their activities.
The apex court had also expressed dismay over the absence of representations of Hindu deities in the historic Sri Ram and Hanuman temples in the complex and sought an explanation from the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) in this regard a day earlier.
The ETPB said the temples were locked up to prevent desecration that might be caused by wild jackals and bats in the area.
The court was perturbed to learn that Hindu pilgrims who visited the holy site had to bring their own idols to perform their rituals, the report said.
The Katas Raj temple is one of the Hindu community's most well-known places of worship. The name 'Katas' is derived from Kataksha, a Sanskrit word meaning 'tearful eyes'.
According to legend, the sacred pond was formed after lord Shiva wept upon the death of his wife Satti.