MIRPURKHAS, July 12: The district coordination officer, Mirpurkhas, Mohammad Siddique Memon, has advised the cotton ginners and growers to strictly implement the Cotton Control Ordinance.
He was presiding over a meeting of cotton ginners and cotton growers on Thursday at the Darbar Hall.
He asked cotton ginners and growers to prepare pollution-free cotton with mutual cooperation to avoid any dispute between them. He said if they did so, the growers could get a reasonable price for their produce.
He directed the EDO, Agriculture Extension Department, Mirpurkhas, to take all the necessary steps for implementation on Cotton Control Ordinance and provide guidance to ginners and growers.
The EDO told the meeting that the cotton ginners and growers had been informed regarding it.
The cotton ginners assured that they would pay premium to the growers who would implement the Cotton Control Ordinance and bring standard cotton.
PROTEST: Hundreds of angry citizens, belonging to the Shahi Bazaar, Kahu Bazaar and Sarafa Bazaar, ransacked the offices of the Taluka Municipal Administration, Mirpurkhas, on Thursday in protest against the filthy conditions prevailing in their areas.
They went to the building of the Taluka Municipal Administration and ransacked the offices of Nazim and Naib Nazims of Union Councils 3, 4 and 5 to protest against the accumulation of water and sewage in their areas.
The Taluka Nazim, Taluka municipal officer, Nazims and Naib Nazims of union councils fled from their offices fearing the wrath of the mob.
The protesters surrounded the Taluka municipal officer and Taluka Nazim and raised slogans against their inefficiency, demanding their replacement. They also demanded that the garbage heaps should be removed from their areas.
A heavy contingent of police was called to avert any crisis. The protesters met the Taluka Naib Nazim, Javed Ahmed Papa, and apprised him of their grievances.
A committee was set up, comprising the Taluka Naib Nazim, Javed Papa, Rahim Makrani, Basheer Ahmed Arain and others, which would immediately visit the affected areas and have the choked gutters and nullahs cleaned.
BREACH PLUGGED: After 36 hours of joints efforts by the villagers and irrigation staff the breaches in the Kaho and Chaho minors was plugged on Wednesday night.
Two breaches had developed in the Kaho and Chaho minors in the wake of the rains and an increasing inflow of water in the Jamrao Canal. Five villages, including Bugti, Ali Sher Chandio and Shah Muhammad Rind, were inundated and cotton and chilli crops were destroyed.
The irrigation officers refused to close both the minors on the ground that a breach would develop in the main Jamrao Canal itself.
NO RELIEF PROVIDED: The district government had not taken any steps for providing relief to the people until Wednesday. None of the elected representatives visited the low-lying areas in the city and other towns of the district.
A councillor of union council-3, Mirpurkhas city, Malik Liaquat Chohan, demanded that relief be provided immediately for the rain-affected people.
He accused the Taluka municipal administration, Mirpurkhas, of not taking any measures to provide relief to the people.
The people affected mostly belong to the rural areas. Many belong to Mirpurkhas, Digri, Kot Ghulam Mohammad, Samaro, Pithoro, Jhuddo, Tando Jan Mohammad, Kunri and Pithoro.
INQUIRY BEGINS: An inquiry team of the Sui Southern Gas Company, comprising Director General (DCE, Engineer) Baig Mohammad Panhwar, DGM (M&M) Qazi Mohammad Madni and Chief Engineer (CSD) Basheer Ahmed Malik arrived on Thursday and began inquiry into the theft of gas.
The inquiry was ordered by the general manager, SSGC, on the complaint of the members of the Sui Gas Consumers Society.