SUKKUR: Hundreds of growers/peasants belonging to different villages of Jacobabad on Friday took out a rally, held a sit-in and burnt tyres on the National Highway adjacent to Begari canal to protest the closure of Noor Wah (canal) through which they irrigate their agricultural land.

The protesters were from villages Ghulam Sabir Khoso, Qalati Khan Khoso, Abdul Majeed Hanbhi, Sohno Khan Lashari, Sojhro Umrani, Mevo Khoso and other villages.

The angry protesters chanted slogans and bloc­ked the National Highway which caused suspension of vehicular traffic towards Balochistan and Punjab.

Growers/peasants of Noor Wah (canal), including Mir Ghulam Sabir Khoso, Lash­kar Khan Jamali, Murad Ali Jakhrani, Ghulam Rasool Lashari, Atta Khan Lahar, Mohammad Ali Lashari and others while talking to the media complained that the Begari canal was full of water, however “corrupt” officials of the irrigation department were not releasing water in Noor Wah.

They said that due to non-release of water in Noor Wah by officials of the irrigation department, the agricultural land on several lakh acres had become barren.

They said that they had visited the irrigation department offices several times, but the officials were not ready to listen to them.

They alleged that the “corrupt” officials of the irrigation department after accepting bribe were releasing water towards Garhi Khero and other areas and they strongly condemned this act.

They said that the time of sowing rice paddy was passing speedily but due to non-availability of water in Noor Wah (canal) they could not sow the rice paddy crop so far.

They said that some landlords sowed paddy crop through underground water, but such crops had dried and burnt.

They said that they fully depend upon the earning of rice paddy crop.

They said that the growers irrigating their agricultural land from other canals had sowed the paddy crop, but farmers of Noor Wah were deprived of sowing and nobody was there to extend them help.

They said that district administration and elected public representatives neither took notice of the problems of the growers, nor made efforts for release of water in Noor Wah.

They warned that they would widen their protest, if water was not immediately released in Noor Wah.

Later, engineer of irrigation department Dur Mohammad Behalkani reached the spot of the protest. He assured the protesters of release of water in the canal.

After the assurance, the protest and sit-in was ended and protesters dispersed peacefully.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2018