SANGHAR, June 9: Hundreds of growers on Wednesday staged a protest demonstration against water shortage in the Chotiari distributary. They reached the watercourse-14 by tractor trolleys, pickups and motorcycles to protest before the managing director of Sida, Ali Muhammad Baloch.

The distributary was closed on Tuesday under the rotation programme. The growers alleged that the executive engineer, Thar irrigation division, had obtained hundreds of acres land on lease through his men in the tail end of the Chotiary distributary and getting water from the Nara canal.

Farmers' organisation chairman Gulsher Rind alleged that the executive engineer was pressurising the growers by depriving them of irrigation water to get their lands at throwaway prices.

He alleged that lands on the tail end of the distributary were cultivated but on the upper side growers were facing a shortage of water. He said that the executive engineer through his men had tempered with watercourses to defame the FOs and an FIR had been lodged at the Sanghar police station.

Mr Rind alleged that the irrigation department officials were expecting from FOs to become their agent to collect bribe money and if any FO refuse they deprive it of water.

The irrigation officials said that the FO chairman was corrupt and receiving money from farmers to get their watercourses tempered. They alleged that FOs have failed to distribute the irrigation water.

ATTACK: Nine people were injured when about two hundred persons led by a union council nazim attacked a shop in Rawtiani town on Wednesday.

The injured were admitted to the Civil Hospital Sanghar. The Shah Mardanabad UC nazim had sold wheat to a commission agent, Latif Rajput, at the rate of Rs400 per 40kg.

The trader made the payment but deducted Rs5,000 for the nazim had purchased fertilizer on credit. The nazim was infuriated and demanded full payment. On refusal, he went to his village and came back with more than 200 men, carrying hatchets and sticks.

The nazim's men opened fire in the air and beat up those who were present there. They also threw furniture, electric fans on the main road and looted more than Rs150,000. The injured were identified as Amir Bux, Jumo, Mohammad Raheem, Qadir Khaskheli, Gul, Rano Wassan, Saddar Wassan, Niazoo Mallah, and Rano Keerio.