March 07, 2008	Friday	Safar 28, 1429

SHIKARPUR, March 6: The project director of the Sindh chapter of National Programme for Improvement of Watercourses (NPIW) on Thursday ordered an inquiry into charges of misuse of funds and irregularities in the lining of watercourses in Shikarpur district.

The deputy director Younus Dhaga was informed by a meeting of the NPIW officers of Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Kashmore, Larkana and Qambar-Shahdadkot districts held at the DCO’s secretariat about misappropriation of funds by use of low quality material and declaration of under-construction watercourses in Shikarpur as complete by showing wrong measurements.

The meeting disagreed with Shikarpur NPIW officer Ali Bux Brohi’s report, which showed work on 30 per cent of watercourses had completed though they were still under-construction.

He ordered an enquiry against the officials involved in misappropriation of funds and directed Shikarpur NPIW authorities to get an FIR registered against defaulters who had failed to pay Rs7 million dues.

He also directed the district managements of NPIW of the five districts to complete work on the construction of watercourses.

The meeting attended among others by director general of agriculture Sindh Agha Zafarullah, director technical Noshad Jamali, director upper Sindh Ayaz Abro, regional director Sukkur Ahmed Bux Bhambhro and district officer revenue Shikarpur, Jalaluddin Mahar also discussed problems confronting watercourse management staff.