LARKANA, Dec 5: A strike was observed in the Qambar town on Monday in protest against the low rate of paddy varieties IRRI-6 and IRRI-9. The strike was observed on a call of the Save Sindh’s Agriculture Committee. Traffic on roads also remained thin.
Led by Moharram Chandio, Mithal Khoso, Irshad Lakho and Jamal Mughiri, a procession was taken out from the main grain market which after marching through main roads of the town reached the Martyr’s Square where the protesters staged a sit-in.
Speaking on the occasion, leaders of the protestors criticized the government for not resolving the post-crop crisis which was affecting paddy growers and millers.
They said growers had to sell their paddy produce for Rs250 to Rs270 per 40 kilograms to clear bank loans they had taken due to the rise in prices of agriculture inputs. They said the rate of IRRI-6 and IRRI-9 varieties of rice had previously been Rs390 to Rs400. But this year, they added, growers had obtained a bumper crop but the rate had been decreased.
They said they could hardly clear their bank loans. They said they could not prepare for wheat cultivation when the season was arriving.
They demanded that the government should set up Passco procurement centres and fix the support price for paddy without any further delay to save growers from further losses.
Rice millers, grain merchants and labourers connected with this trade also closed their business and activities took out a procession from the main market in Qambar on Monday.
Nazeer Shaikh and Essa Magsi led the protest.
The protesters later reached the press club.
They supported demands of growers and called upon the government to purchase paddy at Rs400 per 40 kilograms.
They alleged that it was the exports’ monopoly that had hit the rice trade.
They demanded that the government should make arrangements for early paddy procurement.
ADP NAZIMS: Fifteen Awam Dost Panel nazims have said that non-release of funds of the Citizens’ Community Boards by district and taluka nazims and the DCO has left development works in their areas incomplete.
Speaking at a press conference here on Monday, Khair Mohammad Shaikh, nazim of the union council-10, Niaz Leghari, nazim of the union council-5, Awais Abbasi, nazim of the union council-2, Noorul Haq Dhamraho, nazim of the Dhamraho union council, and others said they had been approaching the district administration for the funds but they were being ignored.
They alleged that the district and taluka nazims were neglecting their areas. They said the Larkana taluka nazim had cut the number of sanitary staff and had refused to sanction funds for streetlights in their union councils.
They said Rs20 million was lying in the account of the community boards of the district but the DCO had frozen the amount.
They alleged that on political basis, funds had only been released for the Dokri taluka and the rest of the talukas had been denied such funds.
They said that due to reduction in the number of sanitary staff in areas of ADP members, unsanitary conditions were prevailing in the areas.
Union council-4 nazim Barkat Awan alleged that people belonging to the ruling Pakistan Muslim League had encroached upon a plot measuring 10,000 feet in the cattle colony. He said the matter had been brought into the notice of the taluka nazim but to no avail.
The ADP members also opposed the proposed construction of the Kalabagh dam, saying it would destroy Sindh’s agriculture. They said Sindh already was facing shortage of water and after construction of big dams like the Kalabagh dam, the water situation would further aggravate.
They also expressed concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in the Larkana district.
NADRA: Mobile vans of NADRA visited various union councils in rural areas of Larkana, Qambar-Shahdadkot, Shikarpur and Kashmore districts to issue computerized national identity cards to people.
Areas visited by NADRA staff include Thanhirio, Ahmad Ali Dahni village, Sharif Bhutto village and Mari Kalhoro, Ghazi Khan, Sahib Khan Kalhoro, Dital Abro and Gian Abro union council in Qambar-Shahdadkot district.
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