HYDERABAD: Relief package for rain-hit areas urged
Bureau Report
HYDERABAD, Sept 2: Expressing concern over widespread devastation wreaked by recent heavy rains in lower Sindh, the Sindh Abadgar Board has demanded that the federal government should announce a relief package of Rs50 billion for rehabilitating affected people.
At its monthly meeting held here on Saturday, the board reviewed the overall situation following heavy rains.
Majeed Nizamani presided over the meeting.
The meeting noted that the Kharif crops had suffered irreparable losses in districts of lower Sindh except Thar, Kohistan and Kachho.
The meeting observed that Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Badin, Tando Allahyar, Thatta and Tando Mohammad Khan districts had suffered the most due to overflow and breaches in the LBOD.
It said that about 75 per cent of cotton crop and 80 per cent of vegetables and fodder had been destroyed in Mirpurkhas.
The meeting said that about 70 per cent of cotton and 80 per cent of vegetables had been destroyed in Umerkot.
It said that about 80 per cent of cotton, 20 per cent of sugarcane and 90 per cent vegetables in Sanghar, 85 per cent of cotton, 25 per cent sugarcane and 55 per cent vegetables in Jhando Mari taluka of Tando Allahyar district had been destroyed.
It said that crops in Badin and Thatta districts had suffered losses to the tune of Rs3 billion and Rs2.5 billion, respectively.
The meeting said that Tando Ghulam Hyder and Bulri Shah Karim talukas of the Tando Mohammad Khan district had also been seriously affected.
It noted that tax exemption in these areas would prove meaningless and demanded that the federal government should announce a relief package to rehabilitate infrastructure and compensate the affected people.
It demanded that a disaster management policy should be formulated by the government to combat natural calamities like earthquakes, epidemics and floods.
It said that a detailed inquiry should be held into wrong designing and non-performance of the LBOD and its capacity should be increased.
It said that the irrigation department should be directed to withdraw the rotation programme to ensure water supply at the tail-end.
The board took strong exception to the approval of nine new sugar mills — eight in Punjab and one in Sindh — and termed it as dangerous for the agrarian economy.
It questioned the wisdom of the government in sanctioning new sugar mills when only 65 per cent of the required 63 million tons of sugarcane was being produced in the country for the existing 74 mills.
It said that it would not only destroy the textile industry but would also create cotton and wheat crises.
It argued that for the production of additional sugarcane, a lot more water would be required which would increase tension between Punjab and Sindh.
It demanded that the approval of new sugar mills should be withdrawn and adequate price should be fixed for sugarcane.
The meeting demanded that sugar mills should be directed to start crushing season in October and new varieties of sugarcane which could produce more sucrose should be discovered through research.
In a resolution, the board demanded that on the pattern of chemical fertilizers, prices of pesticides of different brands should be fixed and strict action should be taken against dealers selling spurious and expired pesticides to farmers.
