HYDERABAD, Sept 2: The Sindh Abadgar Board at its meeting held here on Saturday demanded a judicial inquiry into widespread devastations caused by floods and asked the government to explain why it failed to cope with the disaster.

They expressed concern over the destruction of rice and other crops on about 600,000 acres, thousands of cattle and grain and said that though flood was a natural calamity, the government could not be absolved of their negligence.

The administrative committee of the Board, presided over by Abdul Majeed Nizamani, discussed in detail the after-effects of the devastations wreaked by floods in Qambar, Larkana and Dadu districts.

The board called upon the government to explain the repair work it had carried out on the protective bunds and Sim nullahs over the past six years and how much money had been spent on their maintenance, and what precautionary measures had been taken in advance of the expected floods and what had been done to provide help to the affected people.

It demanded a judicial inquiry and adequate payment of compensation to the flood affected people. They asked the government for rehabilitation of people as well as of infrastructure on war-footings with the help of international agencies.

It pointed out that on the pretext of floods, the release of water in the waterways has been totally stopped seriously damaging the standing crops and demanded that the rotation programme should be ended forthwith and the supply of irrigation water up to tail-end should be ensured.

Rejecting the trade policy announced by the federal commerce minister and termed it anti-agriculture and said that all facilities had been provided to the exporters while the agriculture sector which was the backbone of country’s economy had been totally neglected.

It reminded the government that entire textile, sugar, fertilizers, rice husking and floor mills of the country were totally dependent on agriculture.

The meeting demanded that the implementation of trade policy should be held in abeyance till the announcement of an agriculture policy which should guarantee availability of raw materials for the industrial sector of the country.

It further demanded that proper checks should be maintained on the export import mafias and the import of agricultural items should be stopped.

It pointed out that 85 per cent of the burden of rebate announced for the exporters will have to be borne by the agriculture sector.

It further demanded that the farming community which is the main stakeholder should be taken on board while formulating agriculture, trade and export-import polices.

It said that due to early monsoon rains, irregularities in the distribution of water, rotation programme, attack of mealy bug on crops and non-availability of fertilizers and pesticides, the growers have suffered huge losses except the sugar cane growers.

It demanded that the sugar mills should be directed to start the crushing season in the month of October.