Daily Times

MADEJI: The officers of Rangers, Police and Irrigation Department on Wednesday conducted a joint operation and shut down about 20 illegal watercourses that were forcibly erected by influential landlords of Madeji to steal irrigation water allegedly supported by officials of local irrigation department.

Reportedly, the watercourses were channeled from Warah Canal depriving the tail-enders of their right to irrigate their lands.

Meanwhile, the Warah Canal executive engineer Ghulam Asghar Bhambhro, SDO Zargam Rajpar and the seasonal in-charge Satte Parkash accompanied the officers during the crackdown against water thieves and pointed out the unlawful acts. Consequently, many growers ran away from their fields.

While talking to the media, the officers asserted that the Sindh Government had ordered a massive operation to be launched against water thieves’, and revealed that first information reports (FIRs) would also be lodged against them. “No one will be allowed to steal water, does not matter how much influential one may be,” they warned.

Contrarily, the growers held a protest on Warah Canal against the seasonal in-charge Satte Parkash for his alleged involvement in corruption and bribery. They accused him of taking huge payments from landlords in exchange of illegal watercourses. Meanwhile, the Bhambhro XEN ordered an immediate removal of Parkash and ordered investigation into the accusations against him.

Published in Daily Times, July 12^th 2018.