THATTA, July 5: Hundreds of growers from the district's coastal belt blocked the Badin-Karachi highway and made 'hostage' irrigation officials on Monday to protest against an acute water shortage in their area.

Those confined in the irrigation bungalow in Sujawal town include the chief engineer of the Kotri Barrage, Agha Ali Hassan, superintending engineer Jan Mohammad Soomro, two executive engineers Ghulam Sarwar Shaikh and Obhayo Khushik and others.

A large number of growers kept the officials confined in the residential bungalow of the executive engineer for about three hours. While hundreds of others blocked the highway outside the irrigation office as a result vehicular traffic between Badin and Karachi remained suspended for over three hours.

The district and session judge Badin, officials of law enforcement agencies who were stranded on the highway due to the blockade persuaded hard to get the road open but could not succeed.

The police then approached Taluka Nazim Akram Shah Shirazi to open the highway but in vain. Finally, the administration requested powerful Shirazi brothers and Malkanis for road opening who rushed to the spot and persuaded the protesters to end the blockade.

During a long session of deliberations between growers and irrigation officials brokered by MNA Ayaz Shah Shirazi, Mohammad Ali Malkani, former adviser Aijaz Shah Shirazi and district nazim Thatta Syed Shafqat Hussain Shah Shirazi, the growers accused superintending engineer Jan Mohammad Soomro of selling irrigation water to influential landlords.

The chief engineer said that the irrigation department was reluctant in releasing full flow of water downstream due to seventeen erosions at various sites in riverine network.

Rejecting the plea, MNA Malkani said that there was no plausible reason, particularly after a massive desilting and excavation of riverine network in lower Sindh, for depriving the growers of their legitimate water share.

Right now and onward only the irrigation officials could be held responsible for the crises, he warned. The elected representatives said despite their repeated approaches Shor Wah, Monarki, Fateh Wah, Shaikh Wah, Daro branch, Pinyaro, Goongri large, Chah Hatho and other main tributaries were not properly desilted.

The district nazim said there was no concept of rotation system in non-perennial system of irrigation network. They said that growers were already facing starvation and could not complete their paddy sowing within time.

They said that if the water supply system was not streamlined on war footings, the growers would definitely be ruined. On assurance of releasing water within three days, the growers who had arrived mainly from Jati and Shah Bunder talukas terminated peacefully.