* MPA claims construction of dam violation of another WB-funded project
* BA moves resolution to reinstate sacked Bugti employees at oil and gas companies
By Malik Siraj Akbar
QUETTA: The Balochistan Assembly (BA) on Saturday unanimously demanded the federal government, through a parliamentary resolution, cancel construction plans for a dam on Hangol River in order to avoid damage to a historical Hindu temple.
Balochistan Minister for Irrigation and Power Sardar Muhammad Aslam Bizenjo along with several other provincial ministers moved a joint resolution on the floor of the BA against construction of the dam. The ministers told the House that the federal government was planning to construct a dam on Hangol River which would pass close to the Makran Coastal Highway.
The location of the dam concurs with the historical Hinglaj Mata temple, a shrine visited by tens of thousands of local and foreign Hindus annually. The temple is also the venue for a grand annual religious festival held every April.
The resolution said that if the government continued with the project, the temple was likely to be inundated with water and all roads leading to it getting completely closed. "We request the government to respect the sentiments of our fellow Hindu brothers. If the temple is damaged, Pakistan's image on the global front would be tarnished and the Hindus living all across the world would be ‘hurt’ over our inability to protect our religious minorities. We therefore request the government to construct the dam elsewhere to ensure the protection of the Hinglaj Mata temple," demanded the resolution.
While the whole House supported the resolution, it was ironically a parliamentarian from the Hindu community who insisted that the government should continue with the project “without making religion a hurdle on the path to socio-economic development”. Basant Lal Gulshan told the House that it was unreasonable to cancel the entire project on the mere basis of the threats it posed to the temple. The government should instead find an alternative path to carry on the project, ensuring the temple’s protection.
World Bank violation: Another parliamentarian from the area where the dam is proposed to be constructed told Daily Times that the Government of Pakistan was morally bound not to carry on the project because the World Bank (WB), assisting Pakistan with the construction of Hangol National Park in the same area, would provide Rs 250 million for the construction of the dam provided that the government ensure the protection of the environment there.
"The construction of a dam in the premises of Hangol National Park amounts to a violation of Pakistan’s commitment to the World Bank and the international community," he said.
The Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), the department responsible for building the dam, was hence asked to either re-design the dam or move it to another location.
Reinstatement: The BA in another resolution ordered Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) and Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) to immediately reinstate 65 employees of various oil and gas companies, including Nawabzada Jamil Akbar Bugti, son of late Nawab Akbar Bugti, who had been fired from their jobs by the previous government on the basis of either being members of the Bugti tribe or having close links with the late Nawab Bugti. The top management of these companies were also directed to send a representative each to the BA by July 1 to clarify their position on the sacking of these workers. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008 629story_29-6-2008_pg7_23 |
