KARACHI, Jan 27: A large number of farmers from Malir on Thursday participated in a rally against excavation of their lands for reti bajri and demanded an immediate halt to the illegal activity and arrest of culprits.

The protesters pointed out that a large number of dumpers and trucks were still busy excavation in the area and had been lifting reti bajri despite a strict ban being in place.

The ban had been imposed after the damaging effects to the overall environment became known, and the subsoil water level also went down considerably resulting in wells going dry.

They recalled that the city administration had granted permission to a limited number of people and also identified the lands allowed to be excavated for the purpose of lifting reti bajri. However, they deplored, unscrupulous elements, including some members of law-enforcement agencies, resorted to misusing that permission and allowing unauthorized people to indulge in the illegal activity.

They also pointed out that these elements were making millions from the illegal excavation. They claimed that farmers of the area had caught many a trucks and dumpers loaded with the illegally lifted reti bajri and handed them over to the local police, but the police let them off without taking any action against them.

The protesters maintained that cultivation in the area depended greatly on the subsoil water, the level of which was going down sharply due to the mass scale excavation.

Pointing out that the ultimate sufferers were the farmers, they warned that the farming community of the area would lose their livelihood unless a prompt and appropriate action was taken. They also pointed out that their area was a major producer of the vegetables supplied to the metropolis.