LARKANA, Feb 20: The Sindh Abagdar Board (SAB) demanded of the government to implement the water apportionment accord of 1991.

The SAB passed a resolution in favour of the demand at its general council meeting here on Wednesday.

The meeting opposed the imposition of 15 per cent GST on agriculture inputs.

It said that the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) had no right to discard the 1991 water accord as it was only a forum to see the implementation of the accord.

The meeting demanded of the government to stop collecting Abyana (water tax) because the shortage of irrigation water had severely affected crops in Nara, Badin, Shahdadkot and other parts of Sindh.

The meeting also criticized the forcible collection of revenue tax from the owners of uncultivated land and pieces of land below 50 acres and added that it was in violation of the agreement with the Sindh government.

The SAB also called for waiving off 5 per cent bad loans on agriculture as this sector contributed 30 per cent to the GDP of country.

The meeting demanded that a professional engineer be appointed as secretary irrigation, Sindh, because a non-technical person could not fight for the rights of Sindh about water share at different higher forums.

The meeting urged the government to encourage pumping machines and tube wells and desist from imposing tax on such facilities.

Earlier elections were held and Raees Haji Abdul Majeed was elected president and Haji Anwer Khan Mahar senior vice president.

SCHEMES: The government of Sindh has approved Rs21.740 million for 22 development schemes to improve water supply and drainage facilities in Larkana under the Khushhal Pakistan Programme Phase-III.

Sources said that the schemes would be completed by June and remote areas of the district were chosen for providing facilities.

SEMINAR: Pakistan Chest Society (PCS), Larkana chapter, held a two-day seminar on tuberculosis and other chest diseases.

The district Nazim Khursheed Junejo, Prof Shamshad Rasool Awan, Dr Ashraf Siddique, Dr Raheel and others spoke at the seminar.

Later, elections of the society were held and Dr Ali Akbar Bhutto, Dr Sikandar Shaikh, Dr Muzaffar Ali Khoharo and Dr Munawwar Ali Shaikh were elected president, vice president, general secretary and joint secretary of the PCS, Larkana chapter, respectively.