July 21, 2006	Friday	Jumadi-ul-Sani 24, 1427

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THATTA, July 20: Hundreds of farmers and political activists, affiliated with different political parties, and NGO workers took out a procession in the coastal town of Jati on Thursday to protest against the acute shortage of water in the area.

They said that shortage of irrigation water was damaging paddy, sugarcane and other crops cultivated by them on thousands of acres.

A complete strike was also observed in the town on the call of Abadgars Action Committee and all shopping centres, small vendors and the bazars remained closed.

The growers, carrying sickles, spades and bunches of decayed paddy plants marched on the main thoroughfares of the town and converged at the main chowk — a junction of Jati, Chuhar Jamali and Jati Sujawal roads.

The protesters blocked roads by erecting tree trunks and putting boulders on roads which suspended vehicular traffic for over three hours. The enraged growers also blocked traffic on Chhuchh Jehan Khan, Ladiyoon and Golarchi link roads.

Speaking on the occasion, Abadgars Action Committee leaders, Nazim of UC Jati, Juman Khan Malkani, Haji Abu Bakar Memon, Dr Rahim Koondhar, Khalifa Haji Mohammad Qureshi, Nauroze Khwaja and others said that the tail-end growers of coastal areas of Thatta were the worst sufferers and sustained huge financial losses due to non release of irrigation water in coastal tributaries since last one month.

They warned that they would pay any revenue and extend their protest drive to the entire district if they had failed to get their water share. In Chuhar Jamali town, the growers also took out a procession and observed a token shutter down strike.