HYDERABAD, Aug 30: Jhando Mari Taluka Nazim Mir Mohammad Ghulam alias Pappu Talpur has appealed to the president, the prime minister and the Sindh chief minister to declare the entire taluka as calamity affected.

He demanded that a special package of Rs1 billion should be announced for the rehabilitation of the taluka because its entire infrastructure had been destroyed during recent rains.

Speaking at a press conference at the press club on Tuesday, he said the farmers should be exempted from all the outstanding government dues including land revenue, water charges, agriculture tax and agricultural loans.

He said that the recent rains had brought devastations in many talukas but Jhando Mari taluka of Tando Allahyar district had been completely destroyed.

Pappu Talpur said that Jhando Mari taluka comprised six UCs, 18 dehs and hundreds of villages which had a population of 200,000.

He said that it was the most underdeveloped taluka of Tando Allahyar district and the main occupation of the people was agriculture.

He said that from irrigation point f view, it was located at the tail-end area and remained without irrigation water throughout the year.

He said that the people cultivated their crops after selling their cattle but due to rains, the entire cash crop of cotton had been destroyed.

He said that even in less affected areas, cotton crop had been destroyed as the water had not been drained out for the last one month.

The taluka nazim said that the cotton was cultivated on 10,000 acres land which had been destroyed 100 per cent.

He said that the other cash crop, sugarcane was cultivated on 5,000 acres which had been totally destroyed in two UCs Jhando Mari and Mirabad and 60 per cent in the remaining four UCs.

He said that banana was cultivated on 1,000 acres which had been destroyed 100 per cent.

He said that as far as vegetables were concerned, they had been simply washed away. He said that all katcha houses of the poor people and roads had also been totally destroyed. He said that due to old wires, power breakdown had become the order of the day.

Pappu Talpur said that the cotton growers of the taluka had suffered a collective loss of Rs150 million, sugarcane growers Rs75 million, banana growers Rs30 million and vegetable growers Rs30 million.