BAHAWALPUR, Sept 4: At least 54 Cholistan villages in Yazman tehsil have almost become barren due to the shortage of canal water.

This was given out in a report compiled by a three-member team of three government departments after an extensive survey.

Earlier, these villages were irrigated by the canal water and were included in the category of command areas.

A source said that a joint team of the irrigation, Cholistan Development Authority (CDA) and agriculture was formed by CDA MD Maj-Gen Abdul Raza (retired) when the Irrigation department levied abiana in accordance with the Punjab government's decision of flat rate on villages falling in the limits of CDA.

The land holders of Cholistan lodged complaints with the CDA regarding the conversion of their agriculture land into barren from the irrigated category.

At this, the CDA MD directed to constitute a committee of three allied departments to probe into the complaints with regard to the stoppage of canal water supply to their lands and waive off the abiana on flat rate.

The team studied the case on the spot in almost all the villages and found genuine all the complaints. The committee further reported that the land holders were in miserable condition and, as such, abiana at flat rate should not be recovered from them.

A communication to this effect had been dispatched to the Punjab government in this respect, Dawn learnt here on Thursday.

OATH: Three newly-elected MPAs Dr Muhammad Afzal, Chaudhry Shoaib Karim (Yazman tehsil) and Sardar Khalid Aamir Warren (Ahmedpur East) will take oath on Sept 6 when the Punjab Assembly meets for a period of two weeks, it is learnt.