August 10, 2007	Friday	Rajab 25, 1428

DERA GHAZI KHAN, Aug 9: The Daman Bachao Tarla, a non-government organisation, told a press conference on Thursday the “flawed” design of under-construction Kacchi Canal would damage 400,000 acres in south Punjab besides depriving 1.5 million people of their livelihood.

Spokesperson for Tarla Fazal-e-Rab Lund said there were no siphons or bridges for the passages of 18 hill torrents which emerged from the Sulaiman range. In the rainy season, torrents will damage the structures of Kacchi and Dera Ghazi Khan canals. He added there were few camel bridges instead of full bridges on the canal which would also create problem for people.

He said the canal would mainly benefit some tribal chiefs and former army officers who had got lands allotted in the area. He alleged there was no rehabilitation plan for the affected people of the project and the government had acquired land from them for the canal on nominal rates.

The spokesperson said the canal which started from the Seraiki belt would not irrigate the Seraiki area and was sure to become a bone of contention between Baluch and Seraikis.

He alleged the construction company had spent Rs300 million on the construction of an emergency channel at the Taunsa barrage on the Indus river while it would construct one more channel which would affect 200 nearby acres. He said work on the canal in Shah Saddar Din, Mirawnpur and Basti Ghuman had been halted due to the reservation of people and if lacunas were not addressed in the design, people would rise against the project.