VEHARI, June 28: Hundreds of families affected by Mailsi link canal breach have protested against alleged negligence of the irrigation department officials.

Talking to this correspondent on Monday, these families held the department's officials responsible for the breach, saying they had never taken steps to strengthen banks of the canal.

They also regretted that the district government had yet to provide them any financial help. More than 2,000 people were affected by the breach and 1,500 of those lost their shelter.

Most of those were still living under the open sky. The worst hit areas were Shatabgarh, chaks 109-WB, 161-WB and 159-WB, and Inshatabgarh. Around 80 per cent of the agricultural land of the Khichi family was inundated.

It is learnt that the irrigation department officials moved to save Shatabgarh village, ignoring the other ones. According to an eyewitness, over 500 houses were damaged due to the breach, which was yet to be properly plugged. The houses were still under water.

When contacted, the officials concerned said it would take three to four days to plug the breach. Mehr Mushtaq Ahmad, a local government official, told this correspondent that District Nazim Mumtaz Khichi had formed an inquiry committee, headed by DCO Muhammad Ayub Qazi, to investigate the matter and submit a report within a fortnight.

He said the district government had provided tents to all the affected people and they were regularly getting food supply. He also said crops spreading over 10,000 acres had been destroyed by the breach.

The administration had launched a special vaccination drive in the affected area to save cattle from diseases. The affected people denied the government's claims, demanding that the Punjab government should withdraw water cess and write-off agricultural loans.

They also sought financial aid and appealed to the government higher-ups to ascertain the cause of the breach and initiate strict action against the corrupt officials in the department.