May 18, 2007	Friday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 01, 1428

HYDERABAD, May 17: Residents of Gharibabad Colony of Kotri taluka blocked the Hyderabad-Jamshoro Road on Thursday to protest against notices they have received, asking them to vacate the colony so that excavation work on the Right Bank Outfall Drain-II (RBOD-II) could be started.

The protesters led by Ameer Bux Khokhar, Abdul Ghani Abro, Aleem Junejo and Peeral Khokhar said that the drain's alignment should be changed to save the colony.

They kept the road blocked for about 30 minutes and called for change in the drain’s alignment and withdrawal of notices issued by RBOD/revenue authorities. No RBOD official was available for comments.

The project has been divided into a number of packages comprising the areas to be dug up and work on it is going on simultaneously in several areas.

Work on the project came to a halt last month when residents of Chaudhry Karam Deen village in Kotri taluka on the left side of KB Feeder damaged equipment and vehicles after the project executors resumed work in their village in violation of court orders.

The Sindh High Court had earlier stayed work on the drain in their village on a constitutional petition field by villagers who again field a contempt of court against an RBOD engineer.

The court has once again stayed resumption of work on the project in the village till the decision of the petion.

CAMPAIGN: The Hyderabad police on Thursday launched a campaign against underage drivers, misuse of blue lights and vehicles with tinted glasses in the district.

An official handout said that police would impound vehicles with tinted glasses and inconspicuously installed registration number plates.