DADU, Oct 6: Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim has said that the province faces 60 per cent water shortage and, therefore, farmers should grow crops according to availability of water.

He was talking to newsmen at the shrine of Sufi saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan on Wednesday. He said that an inquiry had been initiated into alleged embezzlement in the funds for the Right Bank Outfall Drain project and corrupt officials would be taken to task.

He said that farmers had expressed reservation over the design of the RBOD but insisted that the project would prove beneficial for farmland of the province. He said that a small dam would be constructed and other development projects would be launched in the Kohistan area.

He said that Thatta and Badin districts had received six inches rain and had narrowly escaped from a cyclone. He added that help was being extended to the people of the coastal areas though "they have sustained no loss."

Talking about the sugarcane crushing season, the chief minister said that he had given the October 15 deadline for the start of it. If the sugar millers did not start the crushing season on time, stern action would be taken against them according to the law, he warned.

He claimed that the law and order situation in Sindh was satisfactory and kidnapped rice trader Santosh Kumar had been recovered by the Larkana police without payment of ransom.

Dr Rahim said that he had strictly ordered the Larkana and Sukkur range police to maintain law and order in their areas. He said that the Dadu Sugar Mills would soon be restarted and a summary in this regard was lying on his table.

About issuance of national identity cards to immigrants, he said that NICs would not be issued to illegal immigrants. Referring to a disorder during the inaugural ceremony of the annual Urs of the Qalandar, he said that after a change in the programme of the Sindh Governor, Federal Minister Liaquat Ali Jatoi was to inaugurate the Urs but due to public pressure, the Auqaf secretary had to inaugurate the Urs and the ritual was repeated by the minister.

The chief minister laid floral wreaths and offered fateha at the Mazar of the Qalandar and inaugurated "15" Madadgar police centre in Sehwan. On the occasion, Provincial Minister for Auqaf and Religious Affairs Manzoor Panhwar, MPAs Dr Manzoor Leghari, Ehsan Jatoi and Sadaqat Jatoi and District Nazim Malik Asad Sikandar were also present.