HYDERABAD, June 2: The Sindh Abadgar Board (SAB) proposed on Saturday allocation of 15 per cent of provincial budget for constructing small dams and farm reservoirs in the province to improve water supply situation.

A meeting of the board chaired by its chairman Abdul Majeed Nizamani demanded that the government should seek special funds from the federal government to construct small dams in Khirthar range, Karoonjhar and Thar, make Chotiari dam functional, upgrade Manchhar, Hamal, Keenjhar and other freshwater lakes to reservoirs.

The meeting called fort withdrawal of decision to raise water capacity of LCDC canal to 9,000 cusec, which had been illegally dug up from Tarbela Dam.

The board pointed out that 77 per cent of tail-end watercourses were running dry in the Kotri command area as the irrigation department had failed to ensure water supply in a judicious manner.

The meeting demanded that the irrigation minister or secretary and chief executive of Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco) should meet on a regular basis with growers during Kharif and Rabi seasons to solve their problems.

They should also be taken onboard with regard to development projects related to agriculture including excavation and desilting of canals, the meeting stressed.

The meeting said that the Punjab and Balochistan should be asked to pay for the construction of Sim nullahs as according to a report the poisonous effluent released from the two provinces had played havoc with Sindh’s lands and ecology.

Quoting reports prepared by the Asian Development Bank and other experts, the meeting observed that 54 per cent of the province’s population was living below poverty line and GDP had suffered a loss of Rs500 million per hour due to political instability over last few months.

The meeting disclosed that Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Muscat had revoked their agreements for importing mango, potato and onion from Pakistan. Similarly, America, Malaysia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka had cancelled agreements for importing textile goods from Pakistan valued at $50 million.

The meeting said that the growers had suffered millions of rupees losses when police impounded their vehicles for public meetings of VIPs and demanded that the parliament should pass a law restraining ant government agency from seizing vehicles for personal or political purposes.

The meeting expressed surprise at widening trade deficit from $9.4 billion to $13 billion even after a drop in oil prices in the international market by 40 per cent and termed it a financial scandal.

LUMHS: The controller of examinations of the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS) on Saturday announced the result of first professional MBBS (Part-II) annual examination 2007 of LUMHS, Chandka Medicla College Larkana, Nawabshah Medical College for Girls, and Ghulam Mohammad Mahar Medical College Sukkur held in February 2007.