LARKANA - Provincial Irrigation Minister Suhail Anwar Siyal said on Thursday that on the instructions of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah that people of Sindh must be provided water in abundance, some of the engineers had been suspended on receipt of complaints. He said Imran Khan’s government was incompetent and mother of crisis. He said when there were no buyers of oil in the world, people here were running from pillar to post to buy petrol due to the negligence of the federal government. He was addressing a press conference at the deputy commissioner office’s Darbar Hall.

Siyal said after receipt of massive complaints, he went to Johi and found the Superintending Engineer responsible for which the irrigation department had written a letter to the Chief Secretary to suspend him for negligence. He claimed that incompetent employees would not be tolerated.

The minister said Bilawal took notice of water theft by one of the MNAs, a complaint against him was sent on WhatsApp and he ordered an inquiry. He said he himself went to the spot, gathered information from the people but no evidence or complaint was received against the relevant MNA, he asserted. Siyal said that he was visiting the dykes and there was no chance of flooding at the moment. He said a committee consisting of Chief Engineers had been constituted to monitor the situation and control rooms had also been established at Sukkur and Kotri Barrages where actions would be taken on receipt of complaints. He said two committees had also been formed for desilting of RBOD and LBOD which would be headed by chief engineers and they would be made operational. He said the Sindh government was facing shortage of funds due to the coronavirus pandemic adding irrigation employees had also not been able to discharge their duties properly.

Siyal said the federal government was constantly treating Sindh with double standards. In reply to a question, Siyal said Asif Zardari had said a year ago while addressing in National Assembly that swarms of locusts would attack standing crops in Sindh which would cause tremendous losses to the poor growers and one of the ministers sitting there had claimed that they had already made arrangements for containing locusts but no funds were released by the federal government to eradicate locusts.

The minister praised the efforts of the Army Chief who sent helicopters to Sindh and helped in eliminating swarms of locusts. In reply to yet another question, Siyal further claimed that the Anti-Corruption Establishment had been given free hand to work freely without interference by anybody.

Earlier, irrigation minister presided over a meeting of engineers in which he directed them to ensure water supply to the drains and canals as per requirement of the growers and tail enders should be given priority so that they must get required water on time, enabling them to sow paddy saplings well on time.