BAHAWALPUR: Punjab Parliamentary Secretary for Irrigation Khalid Mahmood Jajja has urged the government to take steps to render up the administrative control of two main river heads Sulemanki and Islam (Pallah) to the Bahawalpur irrigation zone from Multan zone.

He said this at a function organised in connection with the ‘Water needs for Cholistanis and their herds in the desert’ by an NGO here on Wednesday.

Mr Jajja complained that due to tight grip of irrigation officials of Multan zone and politicians over waters of canals emanating from the two heads of the River Sutlej, farmers and landlords of areas falling within the ambit of Bahawalpur irrigation zone, particularly parts of Bahawalpur district and its adjacent areas of Cholistan, were facing hardships.

He said lands of Bahawalpur turned barren due to an acute shortage of canal water as Multan officials and MPs did not ensure fair distribution of water between the two irrigation zones of Bahawalpur and Multan.

He said he intended to raise the issue before the provincial chief executive in due course of time.

In the 80s, the Punjab government had handed over the administrative control of these two headworks to the Multan zone, although they are located in the Bahawalpur division.

Both Islam and Sulemanki headworks are located on the borders of Hasilpur-Vehari and Bahawalnagar-Sahiwal, respectively.

During the era of the defunct Bahawalpur State and even after its merger with the then West Pakistan, the Bahawalpur irrigation zone had its administrative control on the two.

After the dissolution of the One-Unit and revival of the province of Punjab by late Yahyah Khan martial regime in 1971, both headworks continued within the administrative control of Bahawalpur zone.

In the 80s, it was the bureaucracy’s proposal which deprived the local irrigation zonal officers of their administrative control due to which the zone area faced water difficulties.

Mr Jajja also complained that the government did not release the water quota of 250 cusecs which was announced for the Bahawalpur district by former president Gen Pervez Musharraf during his visit to the area. He assured the farmers that he would make efforts for the restoration of the water quota for districts’ canals.

Gen Musharraf had allocated 250 cusecs of water for the three canals of Cholistan on the demand of PML-Q’s then district nazim Tariq Cheema.

Mr Cheema had been claiming that the quota was given by the then provincial government and was discontinued after the Musharraf government.

These three Cholistani canals were described as flood channels and the farming community had been utilising its water for cultivation. But since the suspension of water supply from these canals, the Cholistanis, Kissan Board office bearers and NGOs had been demanding its restoration.

Mr Jajja said the government was taking measures to improve the lot of the Cholistanis and he had planned to launch a solar park in his Yazman area for the socio-economic change of the rural people.

PONDS: Several ponds in the desert of Cholistan have dried up while there is no forecast of immediate rains in the vast desert.

The area people with their herds of animals mainly depend on ponds where water accumulates after rains. But since it did not rain for several months, these tobas have dried up creating trouble for local inhabitants and their animals.

Tobas namely Mulawala, Mahiwala, Dachiwala, Lakahani, Kharwala, Dhariana, Jumawali, Phatewala and Malawala have dried up.

NOMINATIONS: The pace of filing nomination papers picked up on Wednesday.

According to returning officer Attaullah Walha, over 100 candidates filed their papers on Wednesday in eight union councils of the city TMA.

Other ROs also confirmed that hundreds of nomination papers were filed by candidates on the fourth day.

LAID TO REST: Dr Altaf Malik, former medical superintendent of Bahawalpur Victoria Hospital, was laid to rest here on Wednesday.