BADIN, July 19: A complete strike was observed in Shaheed Fazil Rahu (Golarchi) town and people came out on the streets and burnt tyres protesting against acute water shortage in the district. Hundreds of growers in tractor trolleys, pick-ups, bull carts and other vehicles arrived in Golarchi to join the protest rally which was jointly organised by political activists and social workers.

The rally was led by taluka nazim of Shaheed Fazil Rahu, Mohammad Aslam Rahu, naib nazim Mohammad Aslam Arain, taluka PPP chief Haji Abdul Ghafoor Memon, UC nazim Malik Akhtar and president of Shehri Ittehad Umer Shahani.

They marched on the main thoroughfares and staged a sit-in on Badin-Karachi, Shaheed Fazil Rahu-Hyderabad and other routes of highway for over two hours, which led to suspension of traffic.

Addressing the protesters, they said that the farmers had become paupers due to damage to their crops.

They said lower Sindh, specially Badin and Golarchi, were suffered from low rice yield due to artificial shortage of water and wilful rotation by the irrigation officials.