HYDERABAD, Oct 13: The Sindh Abadgar Board has demanded that a high-powered committee be formed with representatives from the judiciary, growers and retired engineers as members to investigate into recurring breaches in canal, status of waterways and continued water rotation programme.

The board members who met here on Saturday under the chairmanship of Abdul Majeed Nizamani expressed grave concern over looming financial crisis in the country and called upon the president to take bold steps for the development of industry and agriculture sectors to get rid of inflation and budgetary deficit.

The meeting advised that in order to achieve self-sufficiency in agriculture sector, an amount of Rs1.75 billion be allocated for the development of agriculture and ensuring transparency in utilisation of funds, a high level committee of stakeholders should be appointed.

Similarly, an amount of $1.125 billion should be allocated for the development of industry to give a fillip to industrial production and $1.87 billion should be allocated for improving communication system specially rail service.

The meeting said that $620 million special budget should be allocated for water development in Sindh and $875 million should be earmarked for health, education and law and order.

The meeting regretted that although water was the lifeblood for agriculture and the very survival of the province depended on the Indus water, yet the 1991 water accord had never been implemented for one single day over the past 17 years.

It said that except for uncontrolled water, no water had been released downstream Kotri rendering 1.5 million acres of Sindh delta and command area, 650,000 acres of mangroves and 2.1 million acres of river forests and katcha area had been destroyed, the meeting said.

Quoting the Asian Development Bank report, the meeting observed that Sindh had become the poorest province in the entire region and urged the president and prime minister to seek an explanation from the Punjab as to why the 1991 water accord was not being implemented which had led depletion of echo system and environment in Sindh.

The irrigation ministry of Sindh should be taken to task for violating the irrigation act and allowing direct outlets from the 14 main canals, the meeting demanded.

The meeting demanded that a high powered committee should be formed comprising representatives from judiciary, growers and retired engineers to investigate into canal breaches, status of different waterways and continued rotation programme.

The meeting said that in case of natural shortage of water, rotation programme should be publicised in print and electronic media to facilitate growers.

The meeting questioned the unrealistic target for wheat production fixed by the government and said that in view of 40 per cent shortage of water, skyrocketing prices of urea and DAP, 12 hours of load-shedding, hyper-inflation and undue increase in other agricultural inputs, the target is impossible to achieve.

The meeting demanded that the price of DAP should be fixed at Rs2,000 per bag and undue increase in power tariff, diesel and other agricultural inputs should be reduced.

The meeting expressed concern over non-payment of sugarcane dues amounting to Rs1,500 million and pointed out that except for Ghotki, Habib and Matiari sugar mills, no other mill had cleared the growers’ dues and demanded that the sugar mills should be directed to clear the outstanding dues latest by Oct 20.

The meeting urged the government not to depend on figures provided by the sugar mills but direct every mill to publish its report on payments made to growers in the press.

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