GUJRANWALA, Sept 21: Farmers of Naushera Virkan tehsil resented against the police and irrigation officials for implicating wrongly over 200 farmers in canal water theft cases.

Speaking at a meeting held at Naushera Virkan on Sunday presided over by farmer Chaudhry Sultan, the participants accused that brinks of the canal and drain were damaged due to the negligence of irrigation officials.

To conceal their inefficiency, they alleged that irrigation officials had the water theft cases registered against the farmers.

Farmers further alleged that irrigation officials seldom visited the canal and drain to ascertain the situation.

Some participants alleged that irrigation staff demanded bribe on various pretexts and involved farmers in false cases when they refused to fulfil their illegal requirements.

They demanded that an impartial inquiry should be conducted against irrigation officials for involving farmers in false cases of canal water theft.

They threatened that they would not pay water cess and other taxes, including the agriculture income tax, if water theft cases registered against them were not withdrawn.

TRAUMA CENTRE: The construction work of a trauma centre at the local DHQ Hospital will be completed in a stipulated period of two years with an expenditure of Rs11 million.

Executive District Officer (Health) Dr Zafar Iqbal Niazi said on Sunday that at least Rs9 million would be spent on the purchase of modern machinery and other equipment.

District Coordination Officer Fazeel Asgher also visited the DHQ Hospital and expressed his satisfaction over the pace of construction work of the trauma centre.

DHQ Hospital medical superintendent Dr Abdul Ghaffar and other senior medical officers and paramedical staff were also present on the occasion.

The EDO (health) said the registration office, medico legal centre, an emergency centre and offices of senior medical officers would be constructed on the ground floor of the trauma centre.