MULTAN, March 5: The Punjab irrigation secretary has sought an explanation from the Multan irrigation chief engineer for breaking an outlet to increase water supply in a watercourse.

The department received a call on its helpline of the programme management improvement unit on Sunday (March 4) that Iftikhar Ahmed Bhutta, Multan chief engineer, was lowering the outlet of RD-104+000/L at the Sindhani Canal.

A team of the unit reached there and found Bhutta breaking the outlet.

Bhutta said that he had visited the place after receiving complaints from farmers in Kabirwala that they had not been getting required water from the outlet. He said that he found the outlet six inches higher from the standard level.

He said that he had asked the overseer to get the outlet fixed after checking it but he did not act upon on his order because he himself had built the outlet. He said that certain overseers in the Rabi season narrowed the outlets to extort bribe from farmers.

He said that he would send a charge sheet to the overseer for negligence in duty.

Arif Nadeem, irrigation secretary, said that he had sought an explanation from the chief engineer and an inquiry would be launched after receiving the explanation.

He said it was a positive sign the unit was working efficiently. He said that making an outlet on a main canal was illegal and his department had already corrected over 300 outlets in Bahawalnagar.