June 13, 2002	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 1, 1423

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DERA GHAZI KHAN, June 12: The district police claimed on Wednesday they had booked some 400 farmers for water theft in Dera Ghazi Khan’s three tehsils.

Reports said some 200 farmers were booked in Muzaffargarh, 48 in Kot Uddu, 60 in Rajanpur and 92 in Dera Ghazi Khan district.

Muzaffargarh police arrested three farmers who stole canal water allegedly with the connivance of officials of the irrigation department.

Dawn learnt a mafia in the irrigation department had been abetting the farmers in stealing the irrigation water. At least 400 illegal lift pumps are being used to draw water from the DG Khan Canal on behalf of the SDO and other staff.

The officials have always blamed farmers for water theft to save skin, it is learnt.

SHEIKHUPURA: Nankana Saddar police on Wednesday claimed to have registered a case against dozens of influential people involved in canal water theft in different villages in Nankana.

According to Upper Gogara Branch Canal XEN Naeem Javed Chauhan, water theft incidents have become a routine in the areas, causing a great difficulty to small farmers.

A team conducted surprise raids on the Sharaqpur distributary and caught water thieves red-handed. Those caught stealing water include Abbas, Allah Ditta, Rai Ayub Kharal, Rai Shaukat, Razi Nawaz, Rai Shah Nawaz Bhatti, Ghulam Ali, Abdul Rahman, Khalid Mahmood, Haji Sarfraz Kharal and Rai Abdid Kharal.

If the administrators did not take any bold step against them, the XEN feared the water theft would continue.