HYDERABAD, April 14: Officials of the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO), including a major were attacked by angry residents of Karam Din village in Kotri taluka of Jamshoro district when FWO personnel tried to start work on Right Bank Outfall Drain (RBOD) project in the village on Saturday. Windscreen of vehicle belonging to Major Waqar was damaged as villagers pelted officials with stones.

The Kotri police picked-up around 18-villagers including three women and detained them at an unidentified location. However, it was learnt that only two of them were detained while remaining were set-free. No formal FIR was lodged by the FWO officials, Kotri police said.

It all began when FWO officers arrived in the village along with their heavy machinery for excavation process of presidential project of RBOD that would carry effluent from Sehwan to sea to avoid release of sewage into River Indus and Manchhar Lake.

Official sources said that residents of Karam Deen village had filed a constitutional petition before the Sindh High Court Hyderabad circuit bench, questioning the work on RBOD project and its alignment on the ground that it was environmentally harmful and would affect their livelihood if it passes through their village.

The villagers argued that the court had stayed the work on the project but FWO officials insisted that on Friday the court had vacated the stay following a statement by the executive engineer Nasrullah Soomro that no amenity or building would be disturbed except for work on the drain. The court had taken such statement on record.

When the officials along with labourers arrived, they found that villagers had released water in the area so that the machinery could not get mobilised. As the team tried to launch work the villagers attacked the team led by Major Waqar and revenue officers.

Sensing the mood of villagers the revenue officers withdrew from there followed by rounding-up of 18-villagers by police including Liaquat Jatt, Hashim Ali, Allah Razi, Mumtaz Ali Shoro, Habib ur Rehman, Mohammad Bux, Mohammad Aslam, Irfan Ali, Mohammad Arshad Ali Jatt, Mohammad Ali Jatt, Fayyaz Jatt, Khursheeda Begum, Kulsoom Bibi and Chothi Bibi. Later, Arshad Ali and Mohammad Bux were detained while the remaining were released.

Kotri police SHO Khan Mohammad Baloch said that so far no FIR was lodged. FWO, revenue and police officials held a meeting in the project's site office, located in RBB colony off Jamshoro road. District government officers have sent report to their authorities regarding the situation.

RBOD's Project Director Rafiq Memon, who is in Karachi, said that he had come to know about the incident but he is yet to verify details after speaking to superintending or executive engineer. The SE Altaf Memon and executive engineer Nasrullah Soomro were not available.

On the other hand enraged villagers blocked Hyderabad-Kotri railway bridge twice to protest incident, leading to massive traffic jams on both ends of the bridge which provides a route for Karachi, Hyderabad by-pass and Indus Highway. The protest came to an end when police arrived there and spoke to protesters.

Taluka Naib Nazim Kotri Dr.Saleem Tahir said that police had detained two persons following the incident and meetings were held between villagers and FWO officials. He said that villagers objected to the excavation process on the ground that since matter is subjudice it should have not been started by FWO.

DPO Jamshoro Khamiso Khan Memon told Dawn over phone that the incident took place on account of lack of understanding of the court's order passed on Friday. He said that it would be clarified on Monday because meetings had been held between FWO officials and villagers.

To a question regarding arrests and FIR against villagers, he said that a report would be lodged and if the offence turns out to be a cognisable one, then a formal FIR would be lodged. However, he said, no arrests were made. He denied that anyone was injured but confirmed that screen of Major Waqar's vehicle was smashed during the incident.