27 February 2005	Sunday	17 Muharram 1426

TOBA TEK SINGH, Feb 26: The Punjab Irrigation and Drainage Authority (PIDA) will hand over the two sub-canals in the district to the Farmers Organization (FO).

Both Dabanwala (Toba) and Jakhar (Kamalia) sub-canals would be given under the management of two FO chairmen Chaudhry Fateh Muhammad and Abdul Salam, respectively.

Talking to reporters here on Saturday, Chaudhry Fateh Muhammad said that the PIDA had planned to hand over all sub-canals to the FOs but it delayed due to some reasons.

He said now the FOs had been empowered to collect water rate from the cultivators while salaries of the sub-canal staff, including sub-engineers, patwaris and baledars, would also be paid by the FO management from its 45 per cent water rate share. He said the remaining share would go to the provincial government exchequer.

He said the water theft and water shortage complaints would also be disposed of through the FO which would certainly help in resolving the water shortage problem particularly at the tail-end for ever.

OPTIONAL SUBJECT: Matric students of the Government lslamia Secondary School are being forced to study civics instead of Islamiat as an optional subject at a time when the datesheet for annual examination has been issued.

Students said here on Saturday that they had been studying Islamiat as an optional subject throughout the year on the direction of the school staff.

The parents and students have demanded that the Faisalabad Intermediate and Secondary Education Board should take the examination of Islamiat instead of civics as an optional subject.

20 INJURED: Around 20 passengers sustained injuries on Saturday when a speeding bus overturned on Toba-Faisalabad Road near Chak Darapur, some 50kms from here.

At least 12 seriously injured passengers were shifted to the Allied Hospital Faisalabad while others were admitted to Gojra THQ Hospital.

The bus (FDB-5521) was coming to Toba Tek Singh from Faisalabad.

BODY FOUND: The body of a youth was found from the compound of a mosque at Chak 245-JB near Gojra.

Deceased Sheikh Muhammad Zahid was reportedly strangled by some unknown killer(s).