KARACHI, Oct 22: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has called  for early completion of the construction of Darwat Dam near Jhangri village in Jamshoro district, 70 kilometres from Hyderabad.

The chief minister stated this while presiding over a meeting at the CM’s House on Monday.

He said that Wapda had to execute the dam project and hand it over to the provincial government. The meeting’s agenda was the dam project and distribution of land among landless peasants.

The chief minister said that the Sindh Board of Revenue was tasked to carry out assessment and survey of vacant government land in Jamshoro and Thatta districts.

The government, he said, had decided to make its vacant land cultivable by distributing it among the poor landless peasants, preferably women. He urged a senior member of the Board of Revenue, commissioner of Hyderabad division, deputy commissioners of Jamshoro and Thatta and other officers concerned to complete a survey and an assessment of land immediately.

The meeting was informed that the government had 25,000 to 50,000 acres of land which could be distributed among the poor women who would get 25 acres each.

The chief minister said that deputy commissioners of Jamshoro and Thatta would receive applications under the land grant policy of the government and hold katchehries for disposal of applications and grant of land to women.

On directives of the federal government, the commissioner of Hyderabad has been asked to form a committee of women lawmakers, preferably from Jamshoro and Thatta districts, to supervise and monitor the assessment, survey and distribution of land.

The meeting was informed that the ownership of water reservoirs would rest with the provincial government.

The meeting was attended by senior member of Sindh BoR, Shahzar Shamoon, Commissioner Ahmed Bux Narejo, Principal Secretary to CM Agha Jan Akhtar, Secretary Irrigation Babar Ali Effendi, member (LU) BoR and others.—APP