HYDERABAD, April 3: The general council of the Awami Tehrik (AT) at a meeting held here on Tuesday deliberated over the acute shortage of water in Sindh and the consequent economic hardships faced by the people of the province.

The president of the AT, Rasool Bux Palijo, chaired the meeting.

The meeting recalled that Gen Pervez Musharraf had declared that, apart from other goals, his government would work towards more harmony between the provinces and for the economic betterment of the people of the country.

But the 30-month experience, the meeting observed, showed that by starting illegal, unconstitutional and immoral projects like the greater Thal canal project, the present set-up had increased the differences between the provinces.

The meeting said that on the one hand the shortage of water had caused the agrarian economy of Sindh to collapse and on the other hand the central government had resorted to continuously raising the prices of petrol, gas and electricity.

“It is a sound economic practice the world over that in times of economic recession and low investment, governments allow more relief to the people by reducing prices, decreasing the cost of inputs and by starting major development projects to increase employment and kick start the economy,” it noted.