DADU, May 19: Union council members and people of Johi have demanded an inquiry into utilization of funds in the social development and community development sector by the administration of the Zamzama oil and gas field of the BHP company. Johi Union Council Naib Nazim Mohammad Usman Bahoto, councillors Pir Bux Babbar, Moharram Leghari and Ranjho Khan Gopang and a group of area people held a demonstration outside the press club here on Thursday against the alleged embezzlement of the funds.

Talking to journalists, they said officers of the community development sector of the BHP company and some NGOs had not provided health, education and sweet water facilities to people of the area.

They claimed that the Zamzama field of the company had provided millions of rupees through local NGOs for providing facilities of health, education and water supply to people but the area remained without amenities.

They said the BHP company was extracting a huge quantity of oil and gas from 16 wells in the Johi taluka but was not implementing an agreement signed with the federal government for providing facilities to local people. They regretted that the company had not provided jobs to area people.

They alleged that officials of the community development of the company were maintaining a fake record of their activities while they had not provided any facilities to local people.

They appealed to President Gen Pervez Musharraf and the BHP chairman to constitute a committee of judges and local people to hold an inquiry into the matter.

Earlier, they held a demonstration in Johi.

WATER RELEASE: An official of the irrigation control base of the Manchhar Lake, Ayaz Ali, has said 800 cusecs of water was released from the lake into the River Indus on Thursday.