HYDERABAD, May 1The landowners of Tando Mohammad Khan, who leased out their lands to different oil and gas companies, have launched a 'Zamindar Jag Tahreek' to ensure judicious payment to landowners and employment of the local people in the oil and gas fields.

The launching was announced by the leaders of the movement, Sultan Nizamani, Ameer Bux Sathyo, Mohammad Yousuf Zounr, Gulab Gul and Mir Naseem Talpur at a meeting on Thursday.

They said the oil and gas managements had always neglected local people and instead they brought the people from outside Sindh to work in their fields. They said the local workers were being systematically retrenched while the landowners were not being given judicious payment for their lands.

They said the companies were also not spending the agreed amount on health, education and roads of the area. They said the oil fields were emitting poisonous gas which was harmful to human health and added that hundreds of people were suffering from skin diseases, bronchitis and asthma due to the emission.

They said their protest movement would continue unless the landowners were given judicious payment for their land and local people were given preference in employment by the oil and gas companies.

BAN Superintending engineer Rohri canal circle Hyderabad has banned the cultivation of paddy in Rohri canal circle which include Rohri division Moro, Dad division Nawabshah, Nusrat division Nawabshah, Hala division and Naseer division Hyderabad.

In a notification issued here on Thursday, he has advised the farmers concerned not to cultivate paddy in the Rohri canal circle.—Bureau