HYDERABAD, Oct 7: Residents of the union council-15 of the Latifabad taluka blocked the railway line near the Hyderabad railway station on Wednesday night to protest against non-supply of drinking water to the area for 10 days.

Speaking on the occasion, union council Nazim Rafiq Meo said the Water and Sanitation Agency had been informed about the situation but no steps had been taken to provide water to the people.

He said a Rs1.5 million water supply scheme was to be executed in his union council under the Rs500 million governor's package but funds were not being released for unknown reasons. According to the Wasa managing director, water was provided to the area between 1am and 7am on Thursday following the protest.

ARRESTED: The Site police on Thursday arrested three accused - Masoodul Hassan Syed Mushtaq ul Hassan and Mohammad Rehan - in the kidnapping case of a four-year-old Abdul Manan. The ASP Site, Imran Yaqoob, said the accused included relatives of the boy, who was kidnapped last week and later freed in Clifton, Karachi.

VISIT: HDA director-general Tahir Ahmad and Wasa managing-director Shaukat Hayat Bhutto on Thursday visited different parts of the city to ensure relief work in areas, where sewage and water had accumulated following two days of rains, was accelerated. The visit followed complaints and protest by residents of the areas against overflowing gutters.