HYDERABAD, Jan 12 A large number of women and children poured out onto the streets in Tando Allahyar on Monday and held a demonstration outside the district nazim`s secretariat in protest against prolonged loadshedding of gas and electricity.

District Nazim Dr Rahila Magsi was holding a meeting with the officials of the district government as the protesters led by former member of the district council, Ms Waheeda Afroze Siddiqui, raised slogans against SSGC and Hesco authorities.

They told journalists that male members of their families and children who had to leave homes in the morning without having breakfast could not be served midday meal because of loadshedding of gas.

They said that thanks to loadshedding of gas and electricity they had to face the wrath of their men for no fault of theirs.

District Nazim Dr Rahila Magsi and DCO Pervez Ahmed Sehar summoned the in-charge of Sui gas and reprimanded him for unannounced loadshedding of gas and directed him to increase pressure of gas.

They directed the Hesco authorities not to resort to unannounced loadshedding and assured the protesters that their problem would be resolved. After this, the protesters dispersed peacefully.

POLIO The cases of parents` refusal to allow administration of anti-polio vaccines to children had dropped considerably thanks to active participation of the government, non-governmental organisations and opinion leaders, said the EDO health of Hyderabad, Dr Bux Ali Pitafi, on Monday.

He said at a ceremony for opening a three-day anti-polio campaign at Urban Health Unit in Latifabad-11 that they aimed to make Hyderabad a polio-free district again.

He said that after revisiting its strategy, the health department had not only involved reputable NGOs like Hilal-i-Ahmer, Rotary Club, health and social units of Aga Khan Foundation, teachers from public and private sectors, management of community development departments and its registered NGOs but also put in place an effective monitoring system to ensure maximum coverage in the district.

He said that the department had got a toll-free number 0800-12012 for the office to receive feedback from the community and take prompt action in case an area was missed by the field teams.

He said that as many as 271,004 children up to five years of age would be vaccinated during the three-day campaign from Jan 12 to 14 and added that 795 mobile and fixed teams had been formed to vaccinate children at their homes, schools and transaction points.

He said that the government was making efforts to eradicate polio but it was also responsibility of the community as a whole to encourage and help the field teams and above all help create public awareness about the campaign. Later, the EDO inaugurated the campaign by administering polio drops to children and visited different areas and hospitals to monitor field teams` work. He advised people to identify and send complaints in case anti-polio teams failed to visit their areas. The district health management would send special teams to that area, he said.

He said that it was a national responsibility to make the campaign a grand success and each individual and organisation needed to play a role in achieving the targets.

INCENTIVE Outstanding girl students of the Sindh Agriculture University would be appointed lecturers soon after they obtain their degrees, said Vice-Chancellor Dr Abdul Qadir Mughal.

He announced this at a function of the Inter-Faculty Girls Badminton Championship 2009 held at the campus. He appreciated the growing interest of females in Agriculture University and said that academic and research activities were being improved.

Women`s role in farm sector was around 60 per cent which was evident from the increasing number of girls opting for admissions in agriculture, animal sciences and food and information technology.

He said that sports facilities were also being provided to them in the university.

Later, he distributed awards and trophies among female students.