MIRPURKHAS/MITHI: A complete shutterdown strike was observed in Naokot town in Mirpurkhas on Saturday against district administration and local irrigation officials for delaying a ‘relief cut’ on Left Bank Outfall Drain’s dyke at Zero Point.

Hundreds of people from across the district continued their protest sit-ins for a second consecutive day at Gulan Mori Chowk on Naokot-Badin and on a section of the Naokot-Tharparkar road.

They told local reporters that scores of villages in the district had already been under water for over two weeks and the authorities concerned had decided to give the relief cut to drain out floodwaters. However, they were delaying the plan under pressure from certain influential landlords of Tharparkar which was aggravating the situation in Mirpurkhas district, the protesters added.

They pointed out that water level in flooded areas was constantly rising after a huge breach in Puran Dhoro a week ago. They said the breach was widening and rapidly and gushing water was threatening more and more populated areas. They appealed to the authorities concerned to give a cut to the RD-211 point of the LBOD dyke to save villages, lands and thousands of marooned people of Mirpurkhas.

Meanwhile, hundreds of enraged flood-hit people from Tharparkar and Badin districts also continued their sit-in for a second consecutive day paces away from the site of the sit-ins being held by their counterparts in Mirpurkhas. They have already warned of strong resistance if any cut was given to the RD-211, saying that this would ultimately devastate hundreds of villages and vast farmlands in Tharparkar and Badin districts.

CM’s aide from Tharparkar Arbab Lutufullah is among the several lawmakers and other political figures who are practically and actively supporting the protesters from Tharparkar and Badin. Local leaders of PPP, PML-F and GDA were also supporting their respective sides.

Deputy Commissioners, SSPs and officials of district administration remained busy over the last 48 hours in persuading both sides to end their protests and let the authorities concerned find a way out.

Police remained deployed along the Thar Coal Road, and other roads leading to the venue of the sit-ins to prevent a showdown.

Published in Dawn, September 18th, 2022