DADU, July 20: Many development works including the water supply, drainage system, and road schemes worth Rs2 billion have been completed through the Nazims of the union councils under the Khushhal Pakistan Programme in Dadu District.

This was stated by the district Nazim, Dadu, Malik Asad Sikandar while addressing a press conference at the press club on Friday. The newly-posted DCO, Abdul Razzaq Abbasi, was also present on the occasion.

The district Nazim maintained that previous governments had neglected Kachho and Kohistan and had not carried out development works in these areas.

He said that the development works of the Gorakh Hill Station and Bado Jabal would continue and the contracts of these schemes would be awarded to foreign companies.

He opposed the construction of the Sehwan Barrage saying that the government should use all such money on the remodelling of the Dadu Canal, the Johi Barrage, and the Rice Canal.

He feared if the Sehwan Barrage was constructed, thousands of acres of land in Kotri, Sehwan Sharif, and Thana Bula Khan Talukas would become barren and the forests along the River Indus would be destroyed.

He said Sanghar and Badin districts would receive water from the Sehwan Barrage, while Dadu District would not receive any water from it.

He said that owing to the use of dirty and brackish water in the Kachho area, gastroenteritis and other diseases had spread there.

He disclosed that the district government had decided to provide sweet water to several villages of the Kachho area through tankers for drinking purpose.

He said that the health department had established camps at several villages and had controlled gastroenteritis.

CLASH: A villager was killed and seven others, including four policemen, were injured in a clash between the police and villagers during a raid on a forest near Mounder town, some 12 kilometres from here, on Friday night.

A police party of the Mounder police station, led by ASI Ghulam Mustafa Solangi, raided the forest near Sheer Shahani village in Kuchho area to arrest a bandit, Major Shahani, and his gang members.

As the police reached the village, the villagers were informed by someone that their armed rivals had come to attack the village. Following the information, the villagers surrounded the policemen, who were in civvies, and after altercation, a 30-minute exchange of fire took place.

Gulab Shahani, was killed while Qasim, Mehboob and Nizam and the policemen, ASI Solangi, head constable Nizamuddin Hattar, Moharram Solangi and Ali Mohammad, were injured.

The villagers also snatched two official guns and 60 live bullets from the raiding party.

Backed by a heavy contingent of the police, Dadu DPO Tahir Naveed rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.

The injured were taken to the Dadu Civil Hospital in police mobiles where the condition of ASI Solangi and HC Nizamuddin was said to be serious.

The body of Gulab Shahani was handed over to his mother, Mariam Shahani, after post-mortem.