September 22, 2008	Monday	Ramazan 21, 1429

NAUSHAHRO FEROZE, Sept 21: Standing crops over 200 acres and five villages were inundated when a 50 feet breach occurred in Sangi minor canal near Lakha Road on Sunday morning.

The affected villages included Gulshan Khand, Allah Dino Khand, Jan Mohammad Dahri, Afzal Pathan and Kalo Khand.

A number of houses in these villages were inundated while houses of Basheer Khand, Jan Bhatti and Rakhio collapsed. The cotton crop standing over 100 acres and sugarcane and rice crops on more than 100 acres were damaged.

The villagers tried to shift household items on self-help basis as no action was immediately taken by the authorities. More than 300 bags of wheat and other items were submerged in the gushing water. However, villagers shifted their families to safer places.

Irrigation staff reached on the spot and plugged the breach after eight hours with the support of the villagers.

The villagers were awaiting for the irrigation staff to arrange the pumping machines and drain out stagnant water. The Executive Engineer could not be reached for comments .

The villagers have appealed to the Sindh chief minister of Sindh and the irrigation minister to announce compensation of the losses incurred by the growers.

TREE CHOPPING: About ten trees were chopped on Bhirya-Tharushah link road on Saturday night. Ten trees of Babul and Talhi were illegally cut on Bhirya-Tharushah link road near War Wari Mori and loaded on a tractor trolley. SPO Tharushah, Inayatullah Veesar, who was patrolling the area, apprehended the accused and impounded the trolley.

When contacted, SPO refused to respond the calls made by this correspondent. The in charge ASI told Dawn that he was not aware of any such incident.

Range Forest Officer (RFO), Niaz Vistrom, however, confirmed the chopping of trees and said that sometimes police were involved in such activities. The RFO further said that he had intimated the higher authorities about the chopping of the trees. No FIR was lodged till the filing of this report.

Sources said that the accused were released after a deal by the police and the chopped wood was sold in the market.—Correspondent