SUKKUR, March 8: Rehabilitation work on Tori Bund faced another impasse on Tuesday when contractors stopped the labour for three hours near Kandhkot area, allegedly due to a drama staged by one of their colleagues assigned the job. It may be reminded here that the flood protective embankments on River Indus developed numerous breaches in last year’s flood when around one-third of the province was submerged.

Reportedly, one of the contractors stopped the work when his pickup, loaded with some 1,000 litres of petrol and spare parts of machinery being employed in reconstruction activity, was snatched by highwaymen on gunpoint. The name of driver could not be known while contractor was identified as Tariq Abbasi. The incident took place early on Tuesday.

The news caused furore among contractors who immediately stopped work on the dyke in protest against police and administration for failing to provide them and their staff safety and security.

Soon after, Chief Engineer Guddu Barrage Zahoor-ul-Hassan, Engineer Irrigation Department Amjad Jatoi and personnel of police and district administration reached the place of work and held a meeting with the contractors. Work was resumed after contractors were assured of complete security.

A conspiracy theory was making round behind the incident as some area people, on the condition of anonymity, told Dawn that contractors had been facing the law and order situation and threat of extortionists since the beginning of work on Tori Bund. They said that contractors had, earlier also, suspended the work for a day or two on account of the same issue.

The sources have another version to share with. The work, according to them, was deliberately stopped by the contractor to blackmail police and administration for securing some favours and to implicate his opponents and competitors in pickup snatching case.

It was revealed in initial inquiry that the pickup was snatched from the Kandhkot city but according to contractor it was hijacked from near Durrani Mahar police picket at Begari Sindh Feeder Canal, said sources.

DPO Kandhkot-Kashmore Syed Ali Raza Shah talking to Dawn said that since an enmity was brewing between Chachars and Bhayo tribes for a long time, hence contractors belonging to former were pressurising police to implicate their rivals. However, he refused to buckle in to any influence and promised a fair trial.

He vowed to bring the true picture within 48 hours and clarify if it was faked or a diesel-mafia was behind the snatching.

Reconstruction of Tori Bund had already been over-delayed on one pretext or the other, he said adding that various issues including mode of payment came in the way.

Further delay can’t be tolerated and it would be made crystal clear as to whether contractors were applying delaying tactics through different excuses, prime among which was security.

This correspondent repeatedly tried to contact DCO Kashmore Saeed Jumani for his comments but couldn’t as his cell phone was not responding.