SANGHAR, Jan 6: The Sindh Tapedars Association (STA) alleged that the Sindh Revenue Department was pleading the case of Punjab.

It said this at a meeting held at Tapedar Dero, Sanghar, on Sunday.

Faqir M. Ismail Chang, Vice President, STA, and other provincial and district office bearers of the STA said that the “jama bandi” should be made according to the certificate issued to the grower by the irrigation official concerned and the illegally increased evaluation should be abolished.

They said that due to shortage of irrigation water agricultural production had dropped by 50 per cent.

They said that even the district council had passed a resolution regarding it.

The meeting which was attended by hundreds of tapedars (patwaris) from all over Sindh, demanded a scale 12 for tapedars and 14 for supervisors, and Rs500 as motorcycle fuel for tapedars.

They also demanded full medical benefits, and elucidated that at the moment they were getting only Rs50.

It demanded that the wards of tapedars and supervisors be given 50 per cent quota in services, Haj quota, 10 per cent of the revenue collected by tapedars, proper seating arrangements, posting of tapedars at vacant dehs, and withdrawal of all cases against tapedars.

The STA further demanded that tapedars would not collect dues other than those of the revenue department.

A five-member committee was formed to negotiate with the EDO and the DOR. It expressed solidarity with the tapedars of Larkana regarding their demands.

However, the Sindh irrigation minister said that there was only 57 per cent shortage of irrigation water but the revenue officials were insisting that it was only 5 per cent, so the recovery target of dues was not possible.

KIDNAPPED: An irrigation official was kidnapped from an irrigation bungalow on the bank of Dim Wah near Jiabad in the jurisdiction of the Sinjhoro police station.