HYDERABAD: A division bench of the Sindh High Court’s Hyderabad circuit on Tuesday issued notices for Feb 8 to the additional chief secretary (planning and development), irrigation secretary, Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (Sida) managing director, livestock director general and other respondents on a petition seeking inquiry into funds utilisation by Sida and all its three area water boards (AWBs).

The bench comprised Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Arshad Hussain Khan.

The petition has been filed by a chairman of the Farmers Organisation (FO) of Kumb minor Nabi Bux Sathio, who is a grower and arguing his case by himself.

He said Sida was formed under the Sindh Water Management Ordinance (SWMO), 2002 due to failure of the Sindh irrigation department. Sida manages three AWBs – Ghotki, Nara Canal and Left Bank – and the AWBs control four main canals of the irrigation network in Sindh.

He said international loans and funds were provided to Sida for a transparent and smooth transfer of water channels to it. By the end of 2014, Sida got third loan of $138 million to meet objectives of the SWMO 2002 for participatory irrigation system through the elected FOs. The petitioner approached the Sida authorities for streamlining of system of Kumb minor which supplies water to 44 watercourses, but unfortunately then water was available only in 30 watercourses.

He said the growers, whose lands were to be fed by remaining 40 watercourses, faced shortage of water. The minor remained heavily silted while modules of watercourses of influential growers were found tampered with or damaged, and politically powerful growers got 10 times more water than what was sanctioned for them, he added.

He approached the managing director (MD) of Sida for resolving issues of Kumb minor and sought details of irrigation staff posted for its management. He said that in the past two and a half years, he did not get reply.

He requested the executive engineer of Akram Wah to stop illegal withdrawal of water by influential growers so that water could reach the tail-end areas, but in vain. A ‘Red Sindhi’ cattle farm located on 2,800 acres of land gets water through the minor’s 10 watercourses, but farm management does not pay abiyana to FO, according to him.

He regretted that over 90 per cent of posts in Sida were held by retired or serving irrigation officials. Purpose of establishment of Sida was to make it independent and autonomous to run irrigation network. For this it was supposed to recruit competent individuals, but the management of Sida was run by notorious officials and they failed it to deliver, he said.

He claimed that an irrigation department officer, who was involved in an alleged corruption of Rs540 million, was posted as director of the Left Bank AWB. When the officer was posted as executive engineer drainage division, Tando Mohammad Khan, anti-corruption department officials raided his office and seized the record. It was on record that the name of Ghulam Ali Talpur, the director, also featured in the list of officials recommended for removal from service by the Supreme Court’s commission on super floods 2010. Due to his negligence, a breach occurred in Ghaliyan embankment near Hala, he sack.

He said that instead of sacking him, he was promoted as superintending engineer and recently posted as director. Even the sitting chief minister expressed displeasure over the performance of Sida, ordered inquiry into misuse of funds and audit of record, he said.

The petitioner informed that 123 water channels including minors, branches and distributaries were located in the Left Bank AWB, but not a single of them was lined. Instead of implementing the SWMO 2002, officers working in Sida and AWBs preferred international exposure visits, luxurious vehicles, renovation of their offices, holding of seminars and workshops and attending so-called international trainings with the result that billions of rupees of public funds were embezzled, he said.

The petitioner also requested to the Sida MD to put an end to execution of mega projects on Phulelli canal as construction of new regulators would not benefit farmers; carrying capacity of canal and raising of banks would help provide water to the tail-end growers. Three mega regulators are being constructed on the canal and rest houses in Tando Mohammad Khan, Matli and Badin.

He said such the rest houses were not needed and according to neutral experts of irrigation system, around Rs3 billion were being spent on mega structures unnecessarily, which was wastage of money. He said had this amount been spent on lining of canal, it would have saved 30 per cent water lost due to seepage. He said this much was being done to get kickbacks and commission and to exploit the WB’s loan.

He prayed the court to direct the chief secretary of Sindh to constitute a joint interrogation team, consisting of officials of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Federal Investigating Agency (FIA) to conduct inquiry into funds of Sida and its three AWBs as over 90pc funds were loan from the WB to be returned with interest.

He said that respondent additional chief secretary should be asked to explain working of Sida to know how successfully the WB loan was utilised and why SWMO 2002 was not implemented.

He prayed the court to direct the chief secretary to remove the director of Left Bank AWB. The chairman of anti-corruption establishment (ACE) should be directed to submit report about the alleged corruption of Rs540 million by the current director of the Left Bank AWB, he added.

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2018