THATTA, June 14: Hundreds of farmers protested against non-release of water in Lower Pinyari downstream Kotri during current paddy sowing season. They took to streets, blocked Hyderabad-Sujawal road and observed complete strike in Mirpur Bathro town on Thursday.

Protesters led by the Sindh Abadgar Board leader Abdul Rehman Khatri, Kaka Yousuf Shoro and Comrade Mao Shoro carried placards, sickles and spades and raised slogans against the chief engineer Kotri barrage.

They marched through main thoroughfares and staged a sit-in on Hyderabad-Sujawal highway suspending vehicular traffic for three hours.

Comrade Mao Shoro, Kaka Yousuf Shoro, Haji Habib Memon, Shoukat Rangrez, Abdul Rehman Khatri, Akash Zaur and others alleged that irrigation authorities were selling 40,000 cusecs of water to influential people depriving abadgars of their legitimate share.

Abadgars dependent on Qadir Dino Shah headwork had been suffering due to its shattered regulatory system, they added.

They said that their paddy seedlings were being damaged and newly sown fields drying up due to non-release of water in lower Pinyari division command area.

Drying up of Ganj Bahar river network comprising Chor Wah, Shah Wah, Jaffra Wah, Ghari Wah and Fatiha Wah had inflicted huge financial losses, they lamented.