SADIQABAD, May 23: A local irrigation official has allegedly been minting hundreds of thousands of rupees by selling the water of Tarakari Minor.

A number of landowners, including Hafiz Muhammad Habib Lar and Maher Manzoor, alleged at a joint press conference in Liaqatpur that the official had dismantled 10 outlets of Sangla Minor after receiving Rs20,000 per outlet, thus depriving them of water at Tarakari Minor.

They also criticized Punjab irrigation minister Aamar Sultan Cheema, who had assured them of action against water thieves and the officials involved during a recent visit to the district. The landowners demanded immediate release of water in the feeder.