People of Thar coal area resume protest against reservoir

SUKKUR: The people of the Thar coal area resumed their protest against the construction of a reservoir near their villages.

The protesters, including women and children, told the journalists at their hunger strike camp outside the Islamkot Press Club that they had rejected offers of talks made by the high-ups of the Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company. 

They said the offer of talks made by the high-ups of the company was a deception to divert the attention of the people supporting their peaceful protests against the hazardous reservoir being constructed in their area.

They alleged that they were being threatened to call off their ongoing protests in Thar and in Karachi.  The people of the villages reiterated that the reservoir would force several hundred residents of at least 12 villages to migrate to other areas.  They vowed to continue their protest.

Meanwhile, some officials of the Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company   rejected the claims of the people of the villages that the construction of the reservoir would destroy the villages.  They said that the company had already acquired the land for the dam from the Sindh government.