01 June 2004	Tuesday	12 Rabi-us-Saani 1425

HYDERABAD, May 31: Sindh Abadgar Board president Majeed Nizamani has demanded that the entry of poisonous water on both sides of the Indus River should be stopped.

In a statement faxed to Dawn here the other day, he also demanded registration of murder cases against those people who were responsible for releasing Manchhar lake's poisonous water in the Indus.

He said that the death of so many people was not only a national but an international crime and added that an ordinary engineer and WASA alone could not be held responsible for the tragedy.

He demanded an inquiry by a judge of the Supreme Court and two judges of the Sindh High Court to fix responsibility for the supply of poisonous water to the people. He severely criticized the Sindh government decision to handover the fishing contracts to Rangers.

PPP: People's Party Parliamentarians MNA Amir Ali Shah Jamote has held the federal and provincial governments responsible for supplying poisonous water to the people of lower Sindh and announced that the legal aid committee of the party would file a murder case against the federal and Sindh governments.

He was speaking at a protest rally outside the press club here the other day. The rally was organized by the party against the supply of poisonous water to the people resulting in the death of one dozen people and hospitalisation of thousands of others.

MPAs Zahid Bhurgari and Farheen Mughal said that the government and departments concerned were aware of the fact that the water of Manchhar lake had become poisonous and its release in the Indus would lead to a great tragedy.

GRAVEYARD: The Latifabad-10 Resident Association has condemned the desecration of a graveyard and a charitable hospital by builders mafia. Speaking at a news conference here on Tuesday, association president Waseem Lala and other leaders alleged that the builders mafia had demolished 150 graves in the graveyard and the Ashraf Charitable Hospital to raise a commercial plaza.

They regretted that owners of the charitable hospital had sold out the hospital to the builders mafia. They called upon authorities concerned to take action against the builders for demolishing the graves. Earlier, a group of people, including women and children, held a protest demonstration outside the press club against the desecration of the graveyard.