MIRPURKHAS - An acute shortage of cement has been persisting in the city and other towns of the district for the last one week. As a result, ongoing development schemes as well as private construction projects have been hit by delay. Sources said that hundreds of development schemes, including CC Road, repair and construction of government buildings and private construction projects in Naokot, Mirpurkhas, Mirwah Gorchani, Digri, Jhuddo, Tando Jan Muhammad, Kot Ghulam Muhammad, Sindhri, Hingorno and Khaan led to shortage of cement in the district. As a result, work on many projects had to be stopped.
Various government departments are trying to complete schemes worth billions of rupees before June 30 to make sure that funds allocated for these schemes do not lapse.
Cement dealers Arshad Ali, Ibrahim and Akbar Khan said that they had sold out their cement stocks a week ago and the cement factories had been using different excuses to delay further supplies since then. They said they feared that cement factories wanted to increase the rates of the commodity that’s why they had created a shortage of cement in the market.
Chairman of the Government Contractors Action Committee Nazir Ahmed Chandio said that contractors wanted to complete work on various projects within the stipulated period, but an acute shortage of cement would delay completion of these projects in the district. He said the government should take notice of this issue and ensure supply of cement to the market so that development schemes can be completed in time and before lapse of funds.
STUDENT DIES IN MOTORCYCLE-
AMBULANCE COLLISION
A 17 years old intermediate student was killed and his two younger brothers were injured in a road accident here on Tuesday. In a separate incident, a married woman committed suicide here. According to reports, Abdul Wahid Rajar (17), son of Sain Bakhsh Rajar, resident of Perano Rajar village near 78 Mori in the limits of Taluka Police Station, was on his way along with his two younger brothers on his motorcycle when he had a collision with an ambulance. As a result, Abdul Wahid died on the spot while his younger brothers Shahid and Razzaque were seriously injured. They were rushed to the emergency of Civil Hospital where they were provided the first aid and then admitted for further treatment.
Later, the body of the deceased was handed over to his heirs after completion of legal formalities. Taluka police have impounded the ambulance and arrested its driver.
Separately, a 22 years old woman committed suicide in Daim Chohan village in the limits of Mehmoodabad Police Station. She reportedly committed suicide after an argument with her husband. Police reached the scene and sent the woman’s body to the Civil Hospital for a post-mortem examination. The body was later handed over to the family after completion of medico-legal formalities.
HIGHWAYS DIVISION OFFICIALS
ARRESTED FOR TAKING BRIBE
Two officials of the district highways division were arrested red-handed by officials of the Anti-Corruption Establishment when they were taking bribe from a contractor.
They were arrested in the presence of the civil judge-cum-judicial magistrate. Anti-Corruption Establishment Mirpurkhas DSP Malik Allah Ditta and Civil Judge-cum-Judicial Magistrate Jurial Rajpar carried out a raid on the office of the district highways division and detained officials Khair Muhammad Samejo and Wahid Jatt.
They recovered Rs192,000 from them, which they had received from a contractor as bribe.
Allah Ditta said that contractor Haider Ali had complained to the Anti-Corruption Establishment that highways division officials were demanding bribe from him. He said the accused had been arrested and a case was registered against them on the complaint of contractor Haider Ali.