RAHIM YAR KHAN: The criminals of the Katcha area, especially the Lund gang operating from an island in the Indus, pose not only a constant threat to peace but also hinder civil works for maintenance of protective spur on the left bank of the river.

Speedy erosion has been deteriorating the road on the spur along with agricultural lands.

Some years ago, the erosion pressure on the Indus was near Chachran Sharif, the birthplace of sufi saint Khwaja Ghulam Farid, where the river waters destroyed the land around the railway station. As a result, erosion continued downstream, submerging hundreds of acres of agricultural land in various villages such as Hajipur and Rukanpur, forcing residents to migrate.

In the past year, erosion intensified near areas like Jamaldinwali, Sonmiyani, Kacha Razi, Dilkusha, Basti Malook Wali, Bangla Ichha, Shahpur, and Dilruba Camp along the left bank of the Indus. The most severe erosion was recorded in January and February 2024 near Nabi Shah, close to Jamaldinwali.

Lund gangsters resort to firing whenever construction activity begins

JDW Sugar Mills General Manager (Operations) Muhammad Khalid said owing to the safety concerns of both people and land, the [JDW] administration allocated Rs10 million to reinforce the Minchan Bund using their machinery. However, when PPP Party MNAs and MPAs visited the site last year, dacoit gangs from the Kacha area opened fire on them, forcing their retreat.

Khalid said right in straight direction in the Indus river from Nabi Shah, notorious Lund gang was residing in an island. In February, when the contractor initiated civil works to strengthen the bund following requests to irrigation authorities, the Lund gang halted the progress by intercepting and firing upon the contractor’s trucks loaded with stones.

After seeking assistance from the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) in May 2024, the contractor resumed work outside the bund with increased security measures. Despite the risks, labourers continued their work while taking shelter behind the spur.

Regarding the ‘inaction’ of PPP MNAs Makhdoom Mustafa Mehmood and Makhdoom Murtaza Mahmood, Khalid said plans were being devised to address the issue.

RYK Senior Engineer (SE) Imtiaz Hussain Imtiaz Hussain told Dawn that this issue of erosion had been existing for the last four months and after tenders, the contractor had arrived there with its machinery, material and labour force at stone numbers 463, 465 and 470 but due to criminals of Kacha area the labourers could not start work.

Hussain said when the labour started civil work to strengthen the spur, dacoits started firing directly on them. The contractor will continue with his work when the government would provide them anti-aircraft guns because of worst situation of security, Hussain added.

According to a local,when labour of the contractor started civil work on Sunday (May 12), the criminals started firing on the workers in the evening. The resident also shared the fresh video of firing with this correspondent.

He said a few weeks back dacoits stopped the contractor and labour from civil work and threatened that if they continued the work, they would be kidnapped. Now the contractor, his staff, and officials of irrigation and the parliamentary figures seemed unnerved due to increasing threat of security and the erosion of Indus was damaging the spur and its road.

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2024