LARKANA, June 18: The Larkana Taluka Council, through a unanimously adopted resolution, has demanded of the federal government to halt the construction of the greater Thal canal.

A resolution to this effect was tabled by Nizamuddin Memon in the taluka council session here on Wednesday.

He termed the Thal canal hazardous for Sindh, saying that it would turn barren a vast belt of land in the already water-starved province.

Ghulam Murtaza Samtio, Muneer Sargani and Suhail Shahani backed the resolution, saying that despite the Sindh Assembly’s resolution demanding to stop the canal construction, the federal government had earmarked funds for it in the budget.

The council deferred an item about allotment of 4,550 feet land to the Sindh armed services board for construction of a soldiers’ rest house.

The members will discuss on Thursday as to at what rate the piece of land should be leased out to the board.

Ali Gohar Bhatti, Ali Muzaffar Abro and others expressed concern over damages to record of Larkana Municipal Corporation and called for urgent measures to protect it from termite attack.

Mr Sargani said that at least 80 per cent of old record of the LMC had either been destroyed or eaten away by the termites. The municipal officials did not tell the truth about the degree of damages to the record, he said.

Some members criticized the taluka council for ignoring rural union councils in allocating development budget.

NO WATER IN CHANNELS: Around 200 growers observed a token hunger strike in Shahdadkot on Wednesday to protest against acute water shortage in twelve tributaries of Saifullah Magsi Branch.