HYDERABAD: Growers oppose fund allocation for dams
Bureau Report
HYDERABAD, June 3: The Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SCA) on Sunday criticised the proposed allocation of funds in the upcoming budget for the construction of Kalabagh, Akhori and a number of other dams and warned that people would never accept the projects.
The chamber which met here under Syed Qamaruzzaman Shah warned that if the government put aside any funds for the construction of anti-Sindh dams the farming community of the province would take to streets.
The meeting urged the Sindh government to issue directives to the Mehran, Seri, Tando Mohammad Khan and Faran Sugar Mills to immediately clear the dues of sugarcane growers.
Expressing concern over high rates of mark-up on agricultural loans the meeting decided to invite heads of Zarai Taraqqiati Bank, Muslim Commercial Bank and National Bank to the chamber to brief them on the detrimental affects of high mark-up rates on loans.
The meeting referred to continuous water rotation programme in Naseer Canal and decided to invite the irrigation minister to the chamber to apprise him of the adverse affects of the illegal programme.
Mir Murad Ali Talpur, Dr Shahnawaz Shah, Akhund Ghulam Mohammad Siddiqui and Anwar Bachani also attended the meeting.
JSQM: The Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz Chairman Basheer Khan Qureshi on Saturday rejected parliamentary politics, saying it aims to achieve power only.
Speaking to journalists at Rashidi House in Tando Allahyar on Saturday Mr Qureshi charged that the Punjab wanted to deprive Sindhis of their only source of livelihood - the Indus River - which would be destroyed completely in case of dams’ construction.
Mr Qureshi said that the government had announced allocation of funds in the upcoming federal budget for the construction of Kalabagh and other dams.
He warned that if any funds were earmarked for the construction of dams, his party would stage sit-ins on the National Highway and block all the roads leading to Punjab.
Mr Qureshi said that Sindh had been converted into an international orphanage with aliens controlling all the businesses and employments while Sindhis had been forced to commit suicide from hunger, poverty and unemployment.
He said that Sindhis were being made cannon fodder in the tribal disputes and added that he was in touch with tribal chiefs to help stop bloodshed.
