June 9, 2002	Sunday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 27,1423

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BADIN, June 8: About 600 growers, supported by Nazims of union councils of Badin district, took out a protest rally here on Saturday against the delay in functioning of the newly-shifted offices of irrigation engineers and superintending engineer of the Left Bank Construction Circle at Badin.

The growers, belonging to the Laar Abadgar Board, Sindh Abadgar Board, Coastal Belt Abadgar Welfare Association and other associations, from various towns gathered at Khowaja Manzil, ward-5, and marched on main roads up to the town main chowk.

Speaking at the rally, representatives of growers’ associations, Syed Zafar Shah, Abdul Jabbar Gopang, Syed Mohammad Ali Shah, Ghulam Nabi Shah and others said the growers would protest if the government reversed the decision regarding the shifting of irrigation offices from Hyderabad to Badin.

They said it was for the first time in 50 years that growers of Badin had got a facility at their doorsteps due to the setting up of the offices.

They said the move against the shifting of offices was being made at the instigation of unwilling officials of the irrigation department.

The speakers also demanded early issuance of notification for write off the interest over the ADBP loan above 100,000.

Earlier, a meeting was held in which an 11-member action committee was constituted. Zafar Ali Shah, the vice president of the Sindh Abadgar Board, Badin district, was made its chairman.

The committee would launch a campaign to resolve problems regarding functioning of the irrigation offices and early issuance of the notification for write off interests on the ABDP loans.