Growers protest: Ghinwa comes to farmers’ rescue

NAUDERO: Farmers held a protest and blocked the main Sukkur-Larkana highway near the Saidu Dero village on Friday.

They were protesting against irrigation water shortages in Saidu Minor. Sever water shortages have dried up agricultural lands, in addition to restricting farmers from sowing paddy. The paddy crop cannot be grown without water. Holding the Holy Quran in their hands, the farmers demanded the immediate resumption of irrigation water. Traffic on the highway was blocked.

The farmers claimed that the Saidu Minor Canal was deliberately being blocked by the officials of the irrigation department who were demanding extortion money. Demands were met and the irrigation water was released after Ghinwa Bhutto, the chairperson of Pakistan People’s Party-Shaheed Bhutto, who was also passing by the highway, talked with the executive engineer of the Rice Canal. The protest was dispersed peacefully.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 18^th, 2012.