TOBA TEK SINGH, Sept 28: The Irrigation department has decided to recruit hundreds of baildars who will be deployed on canals to check water theft besides strengthening embankments. The deployment will be at every 10th kilometre in different districts of the province,

This was disclosed on Sunday by Faisalabad zone irrigation chief engineer Sheikh Sajjad Nasim while addressing an open court at Dhamman rest house, Gojra.

He said that before the remodelling of upper and lower branches of Jhang canal, within three years period 8,740 miles long canals in the province would be bricklined.

First priority in this regard will be given to areas where underground water was not for drinking and irrigation. The chief engineer said that five per cent expenditure of lining the canals would be collected from farmers while the rest of 95 per cent money would be spent by the government.

On the complaint of cultivators, he ordered all superintending engineers and executive engineers to immediately check all outlets of canals to remove irregularities, if any.

Meanwhile, irrigation employees union central leader Allah Bakhsh Sial said the number of baildars to be recruited was still not enough to do the ‘difficult’ task of checking water thefts and strengthening embankments.