12 July 2004	Monday	23 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

LARKANA, July 11: Farmers from nine villages of Larkana taluka held a demonstration here on Saturday to protest against the persistent shortage of water in Mirwah and Saeedo Shakh, off-taking from the Rice Canal.

Led by Piyaral Langah and Huzoor Bakhsh, the protesters arrived in tractor trolleys and blocked the Soekarno Chowk for an hour, raising slogans against the canal engineer.

They said that around 35,000 acres of land in their villages - Nagar Sangi, Jumo Jogi, Jumo Langah, Mehar Brohi, Faqeer Brohi, Abdul Rehman Shaikh, Jagirani, Pabdhi Golo and Vikya Sangi - would be rendered barren if water was not immediately supplied to them.

They alleged that influential landlords had inserted pipes into the said waterways in connivance with the irrigation officials, making it difficult for water to reach the tails.

The protesting farmers also staged a sit-in outside the Jinnah Bagh where the irrigation SDO met them and gave his assurance that in a couple of days, water supply in the canal would be improved. On the assurance, the protesters dispersed peacefully.

PRISONER DIES: A prisoner, Sikandar Ali, serving 25 years in a murder case in the central prison here died in the Chandka Medical College Hospital on Saturday.