May 28, 2006	Sunday	Rabi-us-Sani 29, 1427

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HYDERABAD, May 27: Irrigation authorities on Saturday released about 1,110 cusecs water downstream of the Kotri barrage. There was an acute water shortage at the barrage and no water was released into the Indus river below Kotri since January.

According to the control room at the Kotri barrage, there was 25,292 cusecs water available at upstream and 1,110 cusecs had been released downstream only for drinking purposes.

About 5,950 cusecs water was flowing in the KB Feeder to fulfil needs of Karachi, 2,617 cusecs in Akram wah, 5,520 cusecs in Old Phulelli and 7,980 cusecs in New Phulelli.

The managing-director of the Water and Sewerage Agency said that tests of water were conducted at 9am and it was found fit for human consumption.

He said that water samples were collected from different places.

The MD urged the people that in view of the summer season, water should be boiled for about 30 minutes to avoid chances of gastroenteritis and other waterborne diseases.

BISE: The controller of examinations of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Hyderabad, on Friday announced that practical of HSC part-I and II (class-XI and XII) annual examinations 2006 in physics, chemistry, biology, computer science, statistics and home economics groups would start on June 12.

LUMHS: The controller of examinations of the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences on Saturday announced the result of first professional MBBS (part-II) annual examination 2006 of LUMHS, Chandka Medical College Larkana, People’s Medical College for girls Nawabshah and Ghulam Mohammad Mahar Medical College Sukkur.

OFFICIAL SUMMONED: The Hyderabad circuit bench of the Sindh High Court on Saturday issued show-cause notices to officials of the irrigation department (Nara canal circle) to appear in the court on May 31.

The notices were issued on a contempt of court application filed by Qadir Bux and nine other farmers from Jam Nawaz Ali taluka.

The petitioners filed the application in 2000 through Ghulam Hyder and Javed Bukhari advocates.

They urged the court to direct respondents to give water to them from twin Jamrao canal of the Nara canal and cancel letters of respondents.

They said there was no water for their 800 acre land and being tail-end growers they were facing starvation.

They said that during the period around 60,000 acres of lands of influential farmers in Dehs were shifted to the Jamrao canal while their application had been rejected.

They said that applications were rejected without assigning any reason and without hearing them whereas no survey and inspection had been conducted by any irrigation official.

They said that recently few days back superintending engineers Nara and Rohri canal circles charged Rs2,000 per acre from Haji Ibrahim, Karim Bux, Ishaque and others in collusion with their subordinates.

They said that farmers were getting full water because their lands were located at the head of watercourse yet a separate watercourse for their lands had been granted and now they were busy in digging of watercourse.

They said that in comparison they were getting no water and facing losses of crops and there was no one to come to their rescue.

They said that respondent irrigation officials were acting discriminately.