HYDERABAD, Aug 3: The Pakistan People’s Party, Hyderabad district, has urged the government to give exemplary punishment to irrigation officials responsible for the Rohri Canal breach.

It further demanded to order a high level inquiry to ascertain causes of the breach and announce a relief package for the affected people failing which, the party would launch a protest movement throughout the district.

The PPP demanded the announcement of a relief package to rehabilitate the affected villagers and growers, exempting them from payment of water charges, land revenue, Ushr and agriculture tax and loans.

Speaking at a news conference at the press club here on Saturday, Mohammad Amin Lakho, general-secretary, PPP, Hyderabad district, Ramzan Khaiber, president, Matiari taluka, Farheen Mughal and others regretted that people who had not been shifted to relief camps were not provided any succour by authorities, adding the relief camps had been established just for show and to hoodwink the people.

The PPP leaders, many of whom belonged to Matiari taluka, said four dehs of Faqir Nooh Hotiani union council had been destroyed, 50,000 people had been affected and standing crops of cotton, sugarcane, orchards and vegetable on 20,000 acres had been ruined due to the breach. A large number of cattle head had also been washed away by the gushing water, they added.

They deplored that while the loss due to the breach was not less than Rs3 billion, the government had announced only Rs5 million for the affected people which they said was a joke with the victims.

They said while billions of rupees were spent on referendum, the government was not prepared to provide relief to the breach victims.

They said the breach was the result of the inefficiency of irrigation department officials as the people had informed the irrigation department about the impending danger so many times.

The PPP leaders said waterways were closed without any scheduled programme as a result of which the Rohri Canal could not withstand the increasing pressure of water.