HYDERABAD: Mining in what is known to be the Takkar wildlife sanctuary in Khairpur district has been continuing unnoticed for years although the MNA from the area has twice drawn the attention of the authorities concerned to the issue in an attempt to make them to intervene and put an end to the activity.

The department is reluctant to stop the activity on the grounds that it is yet to be determined first whether the area where mining is undertaken indeed falls within the wildlife sanctuary. According to mines and minerals secretary Zulfiqar Shah, demarcation to determine the status of mining area will be done soon.

The wildlife department is said to have recently proposed to Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah that “either the status of wildlife sanctuary [Takkar] be withdrawn to justify mining ... or directives be issued for declaring the area “Takkar National Park” on the pattern of the Khirthar National Park...”.

“Let’s first determine whether mining is going on within the sanctuary’s area and if it so we will be cancelling those permits/licences to avoid any activity that was affecting the wildlife site,” said Mr Shah while speaking to Dawn over phone on Friday evening.

Takkar Wildlife Sanctuary is said to be stretched over an area of 107,520 acres (or 44,000ha) in Khairpur district and perhaps also covers the historical Kotdiji Fort.

Sources in the wildlife department claim that MNA Nafisa Shah has sought attention of the Sindh government, for a second time, as she also wants the area be declared a national park. The is also said be a reserved forest where no activity is allowed to take place but the mines and mineral department, on the basis of its own rules, has allowed mining and the activity has been continuing for several years. “We don’t see any end to it,” said a wildlife department source.

It is learnt that the wildlife department has conveyed to the chief minister that the mining operations and blasting nullify the very purpose of wildlife sanctuary considering the fact that such operations are illegal. The activity also violates the Sindh Wildlife Protection Ordinance, 1972.

Takkar area falls within Nara tehsil of Khairpur district. It was declared ‘protected forest’ vide Sindh government gazette notification of Jan 15, 1960 and subsequently it was declared a ‘reserve forest’ through the West Pakistan gazette notification dated Jan 17, 1967.

Sources said that the forest department has also taken up the matter with Sindh government through some correspondence, mentioning that “despite forest department’s objections, mines and mineral department is issuing mining leases in Takkar area on the basis of Presidential Order No. 8 of 1961 and The Sindh Mining Concession Rules, 2002 and its section 11 and sub-section-3”.

The department contends that after the Jan 17, 1967 notification, reserve forest sections of Forest Act 1927 become applicable and section 26 sub-section (g) read as “quarries stone, burns lime or charcoal, or collects, subject to any manufacturing process, or removes, any forest produce” these activities within reserve forests are prohibited and punishable.

Sindh Wildlife Management Board’s chief game warden/chairman Sardar Mohammad Usman Ali has also sent a communication to Sindh Mines and Minerals Minister Shabbir Ali Bijarani urging him to help stop the illegal mining activity. He stated that he had received complaints from elected representatives of the area in this regard. He urged the minister to take action through the law-enforcement agencies in the larger interest of indigenous wildlife.

M Ali, through another communication dated Aug 8, has suggested formation of a joint team for the demarcation of Takkar Wildlife Sanctuary. Such demarcation should be jointly carried out by the revenue, mines & minerals and wildlife departments, he suggested.

In her letter written to Mr Bijarani in the last week of July, MNA Nafisa Shah expressed her concern over “vandalism of natural and historical heritage of Kotdiji due to indiscriminate and illegal mining in the area”.

She pointed out that Kotdiji had magnificent ancient and scenic geological hills in the Takkar area. “Over 200 sites are leased out by the mines and minerals department for more than 99 years with utter disregard for natural heritage of area...,” she noted.

She urged the Sindh government to impose a ban on mining in the area and restrict such activity to the areas outside the protected zones. “In addition, Takkar natural reserve may be upgraded to Takkar National Park and financial resources allocated to restore natural beauty of the area,” said her letter.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2019