BAHAWALPUR: Dozens of flood-affected residents of Basti Saniaranwala in Lodhran district protested on Saturday, claiming they were excluded from the official flood-affected areas survey.

Following the protest, the victims met Lodhran Deputy Commissioner Dr Lubna Nazir and apprised her of their demand to include their area in the survey.

They informed the DC that despite repeated requests, survey teams did not assess their flood-damaged homes and livestock losses from the devastating floods of August-September. The protesters said numerous families were affected, their houses were damaged and cattle were lost.

According to the protesters, the deputy commissioner assured them that their locality would be included in the survey areas.

WHEAT TARGET: Wheat on an area of 2.683 million acres will be sown in Bahawalpur division this year.

This target was announced by Divisional Commissioner Ms Musarat Jabean while presiding over a meeting of the divisional committee for the “Grow More Wheat Campaign 2025” on Saturday.

The commissioner informed the meeting that certified wheat seed is now available at Rs 5,500 per 50-kilogram bag. She added that the government would provide interest-free loans of up to Rs 300,000 to cultivators, and that 113,000 Kisan cards have been issued across the division so far. She directed officials to ensure the procurement of wheat from the farming community at the rate of Rs3,500 per maund.

The meeting was attended by the DCs of Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar and Rahim Yar Khan, along with agriculture department officials and farming body representatives.

Meanwhile, Lodhran Deputy Commissioner Dr. Lubna Nazir also chaired a meeting of the Grow More Wheat Campaign committee, saying that wheat would be cultivated on 376,000 acres in her district. She urged cultivators to purchase certified wheat seed.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2025