SANGHAR, May 20: Over two thousand growrs staged a rally here on Monday to protest against the closure of Old Jamrao canal and its distributaries under the rotation programme.

They said thousands of acres of agricultural land, which were being irrigated by the Shahu Branch, Kunro, Bitoore, Dim Wah, Rind Minor, Bijor Minor, Jhol Minor, Dilore, Sorki and others, could not be cultivated due to the shortage of water.

Speaking on the occasion, Ali Akbar, Khaliq, Mohammad Ali, Jan Mohammad, Umer Khan and others alleged that SDOs and the executive engineer were disturbing the rotation programme to extort money.

They said that since December 2001, water was released in canals only for 25 days and that too with the interval of about 30 days. At some places canals remained closed for more than 40 to 50 days.

They said if cotton was planted over a ridge, it required water after at least four days of sowing and after May 20, the cotton sowing season was over.

The farmers, who had gathered at 8th Mile of Shahu Branch, later moved to Sanghar town to protest outside the office of the district Nazim.

At Jhol, the protesters tried to meet the SDO, irrigation, but he avoided them.