06 February 2005	Sunday	26 Zilhaj 1425

KHAIRPUR, Feb 5: A group of farmers took out a procession and observed a three-hour token hunger strike in Sobhdero town on Saturday to protest against a shortage of water in the Faiz Nahar and six other canals of the area.

The protesters said that the annual canal closure period had ended on Jan 26 but the water supply to the canals had not been restored.

He called upon the irrigation authorities to ensure early release of water into canals.

Meanwhile, farmers, whose land is irrigated through the Nara Canal, took out a procession in the Peerano Patan area in protest against the water rotation programme being implemented on the canal.

They told journalists that the irrigation officials were running water lifting machines on rotation basis which could not be strictly implemented because of frequent power loadshedding in the area. As a result, they could not have watered their wheat crop and it was drying up.