DADU, Dec 6: A large number of farmers and activists of the Awami Tehrik took out a procession here on Monday in protest against an acute shortage of water in water channels of Dadu taluka.

AT leader Lal Shah and leaders of the farmers' association, Riaz Pechuho and Yaqoob Panhwar, led the protestors who after marching on main roads of the city reached the press club where they held a demonstration.

Speaking on the occasion, leaders alleged that irrigation officials were selling water share of small growers to influential landlords in Phulji, Piyaro Goth, Khudabad and Sita Road.

They said that irrigation officials received Rs50,000 per watercourse for ensuring proper supply of water. They said hundreds of acres of land had remained uncultivated due to water shortage.

They said that at the head of Piyaro Goth canal, an influential landlord had blocked irrigation water as a result 20 watercourses at the tail-end had desiccated. They said they complained to SHO Rukkan police station but no action was taken against the landlord. They appealed to the authorities concerned to take action against SHO Rukkan and local irrigation officials.

PROTEST: Hundreds of growers of the Daim branch originating from the Dadu canal staged a demonstration in Bhan Saeedabad, Sehwan taluka on Monday in protest against water shortage in their area.

The farmers blocked Bhan-Sehwan road for two hours. They said that local irrigation officials were selling water to influential landlords. They said that small growers had not cultivated wheat and cotton crops due to water shortage in the tail-end area of Daim branch.

They said that if water was not supplied to tail-end growers of the branch by Dec 9, three growers would commit self-immolation in Bhan Saeedabad. On that occasion, Ramzan Jamali sprinkled kerosene oil over his body and attempted to commit self-immolation but he was saved by growers present there.