June 5, 2005	Sunday	Rabi-us-Sani 27, 1426

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HYDERABAD, June 4: Sindh Abadgar Board has expressed concern over the continued rotation programme of irrigation water and said that due to mismanagement of water and rampant corruption in the irrigation department, Sindh has sustained a loss of Rs51.936 billion only in rice, wheat and sugarcane crops during the last six years.

This was observed at the meeting of the working committee of the board held here on Saturday under the chairmanship of Mr Abdul Majeed Nizamani.

The meeting was of the view that it was due to the inefficiency of the irrigation department that Punjab was not only violating the water accord but accusing Sindh of mismanagement in regulating water supply.

The meeting further noted that it was also due to the inefficiency of the irrigation department officials that the growers were being punished through the deployment of Rangers.

The meeting demanded that the rotation programme, which was the root cause of corruption, should be ended and tail-enders should be ensured water supply.

It further demanded that along with the growers, who were tampering with modules and stealing water through pipes, the irrigation officials should also be punished and desilting of the waterways should be carried out on war-footings.

It said that on the pattern of Punjab, all taxes including water charges and agriculture tax should be waived in calamity- declared areas and water charges for Rabi crop should be reduced by 64.7 per cent.

It demanded that according to the government record, the growers should be compensated for the loss of 51.93 billion which they had to suffer for six years.

In another resolution, the meeting demanded that non-development and protocol expenditure should be reduced by 40 per cent and transferred to development budget, infrastructural facilities should be improved, inland, ocean, air and railway tariff should be reduced and credit facilities for the agriculture sector should be increased to 200 billion.

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