HYDERABAD, Dec 7 The Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SCA) has urged the government to direct all scheduled banks to provide loan to growers at the rate of nine per cent on the pattern of Zarai Taraqiati Bank.

The demand was made at a meeting of the SCA held on Sunday with Akhund Ghulam Mohammad Siddiqui in the chair.

It was observed that commercial banks were charging 18 per cent to 22 per cent mark-up on loans, which the growers could not afford.

The meeting observed that the scheduled banks should emulate Zarai Taraqiati Bank for the uplift of the agriculture sector and should provide the farming community with soft loans.

The meeting further demanded that villagers of the registered Goth Abad Scheme should be advanced loans for procurement of livestock.

It expressed its concern over the indifferent attitude of the PASSCO and demanded that PASSCO should be directed to purchase rice at the rate of Rs700 per maund and the growers should be given representation in the PASSCO.

It further demanded that sugar mills should be directed to clear the outstanding dues of the growers.

SEWERAGE PROBLEM The district nazim has said that the district government has resolved the sewerage problems of Qasimabad taluka for the next 25 years by modernising the sewerage system and laying new sewerage lines.

He was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of a pumping station at Sheedi Goth Qasimabad.

Mr Jamil said that apart from the provision of basic amenities to the people of Qasimabad, the district government had also paid special attention to resolve the lingering sewage issue of the locality and increased the capacity of all its pumping stations.

He said that standby generators had also been provided to all the pumping stations to ensure that proper and swift disposal of sewage during power cuts.

Sewerage system, he said, did not exist in Wahdat Colony, Memon Colony, Waqar Town and other adjoining areas but the district government had constructed a pumping station at Sheedi Goth at a cost of Rs70 million to resolve the sewage problem.

He said this pumping station had the capacity of disposing of 15 MGD sewage and six motors of 50 horsepower to 100 horsepower had been installed at the pumping station.