CHARSADDA: A large number of farmers from Shabqadar tehsil here on Wednesday besieged the office of irrigation department in protest against delay in rehabilitation of Munda Headworks, which was damaged during recent floods.

A rally of the protesting farmers led by Engineer Mohammad Asif Khan and Syed Zakir Bacha besieged the irrigation office in the morning. Later, other elders and farmer leaders, including Zaffar Ali Khan, Gul Yousaf, Amjad Khan Katozai, Rehmat Ali Mohmand, Shahidullah and Rizwanullah, also joined them. They were chanting slogans against the government and irrigation department officials.

Addressing the gathering, leaders of the farmers said that the recent floods had damaged their houses, washed away standing crops on thousands of acres and destroyed the Doaba irrigation system.

They said that despite passage of one month the irrigation system was yet to be restored due to which their sugarcane crop was being damaged. They said that they would not be able to cultivate wheat, vegetable and other crops on thousands of acres in Charsadda due to lack of irrigation water.

Later, a delegation of the protesting farmers led by Asif Khan held a meeting with SDO irrigation who after consulting high officials assured them that irrigation water would be temporarily restored within a week while work on Munda Headworks would soon be started.

Meanwhile, district bar association president and JI candidate for NA-24 Mujeebur Rehman advocate and party’s youth wing leader Naveed Khan announced to launch a protest movement against delay in rehabilitation of the Munda Headworks.

They said all farmers from three affected districts, including Charsadda, Mardan and Nowshera, would be contacted to launch a protest movement against delay in work on Munda Headworks.

Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2022