SUKKUR, Aug 6: The villagers of the Karohi village and the Sathiaro village held protest demonstrations against the officials of the Mari Gas Field, near Gunhar More, Daharki, as a result of which drilling work on wells No79 and 80 of the Mari Gas Field was hampered on Tuesday.

The protesters, led by Comrade Mandhal Shar, assembled near well No80 and asked the employees to stop working.

The protesters’ leaders, including Rahib Samejo, Rasheed Bhutto, Dur Mohammad Shah and Abdul Rehman, told newsmen that the Mari Gas Field had started drilling on 300 acres which belonged to them, and added that the officials of the Mari Gas Field neither paid them any compensation for the land nor provided any facility to the residents of the two villages.

They claimed that an official had promised them that the Mari Gas Field would not only pay compensation to the owners of the land but jobs would also be provided to the villagers.

When contacted, the field manager, Jawed Jadoon, he said that so-called Mr Shar was blackmailing the officials and had already received Rs2.5 million from them.

He said that Mandhal Shar had illegally occupied the land of a retired army officer, Fazlur Rehman, and in lieu of the land he had received Rs2.5 million from the Mari Gas Field.

He said that 90 per cent of the Mari Gas Field employees were local people.

Mr Jawed said that we have not deployed Rangers at the field, and added that all the security measures are looked after by our private security personnel.