DERA GHAZI KHAN, July 6Residents of Jakhar Imam Shah and Jhoke Uttra demonstrated against the irrigation department and district administration for their failure to save human settlements and standing crops from river erosion.

The protestors, led by former district council member Syed Baqir Shah, took out a protest rally from Dat Pul that reached the Commissioner Office after marching through different roads.

Carrying banners and placards inscribed with demands for the construction of embankments on the river, they also chanted slogans against the negligence of the irrigation department and district administration. A protester said that more than 50 squares of land had been devoured by the river erosion, but neither the district administration nor the irrigation department came to their rescue.

Commissioner Hasan Iqbal held talks with protestors telling them he had sought a report from the irrigation department. He assured them that suggestions would be sent to authorities concerned for the construction of embankments.

PAYMENTS WITHHELD The provincial building department has withheld Rs6 million payments to its contractors despite accomplishment of various projects by them and they have appealed to the chief minister to take action against the authorities concerned.

Dawn learned that six contractors accomplished various projects including building veterinary dispensaries in Guja Bhar Sial, Rind Ada, Kaisar Wali and Sameena and judicial lockups in Jampur and Taunsa Sharif, but the authorities did not release payments to them.

Sohail Ahmed, one of the contractors, told Dawn that executive engineer Habibur Rehman directed them to complete these projects before the end of the financial year.

He said that despite the completion of projects, payments were not being released to them. He said that after the completion of projects, the executive engineer refused to entertain them.

Ahmed said that they had sent an appeal to the Punjab chief minister to take action against the authorities concerned. Arshad Niazi, a sub-divisional officer, told Dawn that the department could not prepare bills on time. However, he said, payments would be made during the current month.

Chief Engineer Saeed Ahmad admitted that contractors had been denied payments due to negligence on part of some officials. —Correspondent