HYDERABAD: Parliamentary body visits Kotri barrage
BY Bureau Report
HYDERABAD, March 5: Members of the parliamentary committee on water resources, led by Senator Nisar Memon, inspected the telemetry system installed at the Kotri Barrage and its four off- taking canals on Friday.
The parliamentary committee members, irrigation ministers, former secretaries and other officials were given a detailed briefing by the irrigation department officials about the Kotri downstream flow and telemetry system.
The members arrived here after visiting Punjab, NWFP and Baluchistan. Talking to newsmen, the chief of parliamentary committee, Senator Nisar Memon stressed the need for confidence building measures in the country.
Mr Memon dispelled the suspicions of those people who had formed a wrong opinion about the committee that it had already taken some decisions. He said President Gen Pervez Musharraf had appointed the committee to ensure justice with all stakeholders.
He said no injustice would be done with any province. He urged the political parties not to give a political colour to the water issue. Mr Memon said the recommendations would be made in the best interest of the country.
He said the report of the telemetry system was updated everyday and was available online. He said daily information about water situation should also be made public by the PID to inform people about the correct situation.
Mr Memon said instead of sitting in closed rooms the committee had thought it better to assess realities on the ground. He said the committee had already visited other provinces and in the end it was visiting Sindh. He said the committee had also convened a meeting at Karachi for March 6 (today).
He said the committee would finalize its recommendations in Islamabad. He said during his visit he had felt that polluted water was supplied to Latifabad and added that clean water should be supplied to people. He said the last year 24 MAF water was released in the sea whereas in the 1991 Water Accord 10 MAF was stipulated.
MNA Mohammad Ali Malkani (Sindh), MNA Jehangir Tareen (Punjab), MNA Sher Akbar Khan (NWFP) and MNA Abdul Qadir Jilalani (Baluchistan), Senator Anisa Zeb Tahirkhaili (NWFP), Sindh irrigation minister Pir Sadruddin Shah Rashdi, irrigation minister Punjab, Amir Sultan Cheema, irrigation secretaries Javed Majeed (Punjab), Arbab Shehzad (NWFP), Bashir Dahar (Sindh), senior officers of Wapda, irrigation officials of Sindh and Mr A.N.G.Abbasi, chief of technical committee were also present.
The project director LBOD Mohammad Izhar Khan briefed the committee about the telemetry system at the Kotri barrage and its off-taking canals.
