MULTAN City News

Irrigation minister for steps to check canal water theft

Officials complain minister about canal pollution by Wasa

From Our Correspondent

MULTAN: Punjab Irrigation Minister Amanatullah Shadikhel has directed the irrigation officials to take steps to check canal water theft.

Addressing the Multan Zone irrigation officials here on Monday, he also directed them to ensure canal water supply to the tail-end farmers, besides taking action against the water thieves without any discrimination. The minister said that the government was introducing relief-oriented policies for the farmers. In this regard, the government had reduced electricity tariff and fertilizer prices, he added. Speaking on the occasion, Irrigation Multan Zone Chief Engineer Malik Amir Muhammad said that a sum of Rs 73 million would be spent on the desilting campaign. He said that 310 mile perennial and 536 mile non-perennial canals would be desilted in the first phase of the desilting campaign starting from January 2017.

Earlier, the irrigation officials complained the minister that the canals had been polluted in Multan due to throwing of contaminated sewage and industrial waste into canals by the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa). They said that contaminated water was spreading diseases in the city besides polluting crops.

To it, the minister asked the Wasa to establish its own sewage water disposal system. He assured the irrigation officials that he would discuss the matter with Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and organise a meeting of the Multan district administration and irrigation officials in Lahore.

‘Steps taken to check smuggling of

gold, US dollars at airport’

From Our Correspondent

MULTAN: On the directions of Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and FBR Chairman Nisar Muhammad Khan, all the customs collectorates have taken measures to check smuggling of gold and US dollars.

Talking to newsmen here on Monday, Multan Collector Customs Sarfraz Ahmad Warraich said that the Airport Security Force, FIA, Customs and other law-enforcing agencies had been alerted at the Multan International Airport to foil any attempt to smuggle currency and gold. He said that the government had already launched a crackdown on illegal moneychangers at the airports. As a result of the crackdown, the rupee-dollar parity had improved by Re 1 in the last 48 hours, he added. He said that all the international flights (arrival and departure) were being monitored/supervised by the collector, deputy collector, additional collector and assistant collectors. Body search of all the passengers was being supervised by the deputy/assistant collectors in addition to personal search and scanning by the ASF, he added. The Customs collector said that all law-enforcement agencies, including ASF, had been specifically sensitised about the gravity of the matter and more coordinated efforts and exchange of information were being ensured.