THATTA: Hundreds of growers, peasants and political workers blocked the National Highway by staging a sit-in at Makli bypass on Monday in protest against government plans to cement Uderolal channel, which they saw as a ploy to deprive tail-end growers of their share in water and supply it to influential landlords.

Jeay Sindh Mahaz chairman Riaz Chandio, vice chairman Nawaz Ali Shah Bhadai, Ghulam Nabi Khatti and others led the protesters.

Speaking to them, the leaders said that the plan to cement the channel was aimed at supplying all the irrigation water to influential landlords and deprive poor farmers, tillers and small growers of their legitimate share.

They believed another objective behind the cementing of the channel was to allow water to flow towards the site of Zulfikarabad project.

They condemned registration of an FIR against more than 300 peasants for protesting against the project in Ghorabari coastal town a couple of days ago and warned that if fake and concocted cases were not withdrawn immediately the JSM would widen its protest throughout the province.

They said that local influential landlords had made life of common man worrisome in Thatta coastline and turned the area into a virtual police state.

Waving party flags and holding banners the protesters took out a procession on the highway which culminated in a sit-in at the intersection of Karachi-Badin and Karachi-Hyderabad highways at Makli bypass, resulting in suspension of vehicular traffic for over one and a half hour.

During the two-hour protest, chief engineer of Kotri barrage Haji Khan Jamali, XEN Rahim Bux and other irrigation officials arrived at the venue and held talks with a four-member committee comprising Syed Nawaz Shah Bhadai, Talib Shah Amirkhani, Adeel Kehar and Faiz Sindhi to get the issue resolve amicably.

Later, the protesters dispersed peacefully.

Published in Dawn, March 15th, 2022