By Sawan Khaskheli
HYDERABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Sindh information secretary and Senate Standing Committee for Water Electricity members including Aajiz Dhamrah on Tuesday deplored National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) decision to close the Rohri Canal forcibly in the name of its false investigation, consequently causing severe damage to the farmers owning millions of acres of land.
Addressing a press conference at Jamali House Hyderabad along with PPP leaders, Dhamrah said that the closure of the Rohri Canal would create a big water crisis for the urban and rural areas of Sindh, adding that the unavailability of water would spark protests by the crop growers.
Mr Dhamrah added that the vision PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari, the project of lining and desalting of the canals and water channels in Sindh had continued, and Rohri canal was a part of the same project saving a huge quantity of water every year.
Dhamrah recalled that the PPP government earlier itself had requested the NAB in the initial phase of the construction for an investigation to remove any doubts on the legality and transparency of the, but the NAB failed to consider the request of Sindh government. Now when the project has completed, the NAB, after threatening the irrigation officials of serious consequences, forcibly shut down the Canal on January 6.
Dhamrah observed that the federal government had already reduced the due water share of Sindh, and now the NAB has further reduced the water supply of the province. He termed NAB’s move as “vengeance” from the people of Sindh. He said that it will have adverse consequences not only on Sindh’s agricultural growth but will also affect the livestock industry.
He said that he is in the favor of investigation against the corruption if committed, however, the arbitrary arrests of the irrigation officials without any concrete evidence is not acceptable.
Dhamrah vowed to make all possible efforts for the rights of the people of Sindh and announced to record his protest in the upcoming session of Senate starting from January 22 on the issue.
Hyderabad Information Secretary Aftab Khanzada, PPP Sindh Information Secretary Ahsan Ali Abro, Ismail Wasan, Rashid Chandio, Ali Akbar Jamali, Ali Hassan Shah Jamot, Zulfiqar Bachani, Zaheer Hussain Pitafi, Aadil Jamali, Hyder Shahani, Danial Abro, Aakash Santorai and others were also present on the occasion.
