BADIN, July 21: Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Ali Mirza on Monday warned the officials of irrigation department of severe action if they failed to supply water to the tail-end of all the canals of Badin district within a week.

The minister said at a meeting with irrigation and revenue officers at Darbar Hall that the negligence of irrigation officials had caused water shortage in tail-end areas.

He said that the irrigation officials who still harboured sympathies with former rulers had created artificial scarcity of water in the district. They would not be spared, he warned.

Mirza said that people from Badin had to go to the grave of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto as a last resort in their protest against water shortage. He would not hear any excuse for unavailability of water, he said.

The meeting turned into an open katchehry when some growers enterd the hall and presented their problems. They complained that negligence and favouritism by irrigation officials had led to shortage of water. Most of the distributaries were closed intentionally to provide water to big landlords, they alleged.

The minister directed the officials to ensure hundred per cent availability of water in the tail-end areas of distributaries and ordered registration of cases against water theft and tempering of modules.

He recommended transfer of assistant engineer irrigation of Talhar Mohammad Hanif Arain and some others and said that such officials should not be given posting orders as punishment.

The director of SIDA informed that several waterways had been over-designed and FIRs had been registered against many landowners.

Secretary Irrigation Shuja Junejo assured the minister of removing irregularities.

The minister directed to constitute a committee headed by Badin DCO, DPO, chairman of Area Water Board Khalil Ahmed Bhurgari, director of SIDA and Mirza Sohail Baig to solve water shortage problem.

He formed another committee headed by EDO of Agriculture Abdul Sattar Bhutto to look into hoarding and shortage of fertiliser and seed.

The fertiliser agencies representatives Kishan Chand told the minister that non-release of fertiliser by FCC and Engro Urea dealers had caused shortage of fertiliser in Badin.

The minister said that he would take up the matter at the next cabinet meeting. Later, the minister went to protesting feeder teachers of NCHD who had observed a sit-in at DCO Chowk and assured them of redressal of their grievances.