HYDERABAD, Aug 3: The Sindh Small Growers Association has demanded that the farmers should be exempted from paying land revenue and agriculture tax and loans this year as they have borne huge losses due to rains.

It further demanded that Sindh should be declared a calamity-affected province and its growers be advanced loans on easy instalments so that they could cultivate their lands.

Speaking at a news conference at the press club here on Sunday, SSGA president Deewan Arumal and general-secretary Ghulam Mustafa Leghari said the relief announced by the government was hardly enough to provide one meal to affected families.

They said the meteorological department had announced that rains would continue up to September which had created an untenable situation for the people of Sindh as the province was already badly affected by the heavy downpour.

They said the rains had left millions of people starving and many others suffering from various diseases. Besides, over a hundred had died in rain-related incidents and thousands were still missing, they added.

The SSGA leaders termed the aid announced for rain victims a joke with them and said it was not sufficient to rehabilitate the affected people.

They demanded a Rs10 billion package for rehabilitation of the rain-hit people.

They further demanded that the National Accountability Bureau should initiate an inquiry against irrigation department and Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority officials for mismanaging the Left Bank Outfall Drain.

They pointed out that billions of rupees were spent on the LBOD project, which was meant to dispose of poisonous water of Punjab, but it had proved a nuisance for the people of Sindh.

The leaders of the SSGA said Rs1.5 billion of the 2002-2003 season was outstanding against various sugar mills. They said sugar mills also had to pay Rs1.12 billion to growers as quality premium.

They demanded that the government should direct sugar mills to pay dues to growers.