Sindh govt submits reports on locusts to SHC

SUKKUR: The Sindh Irrigation department has submitted a report about the elimination of locust swarms in the Sindh High Court Circuit Bench, Sukkur.

The double bench of SHC Sukkur comprising Justice Rasheed Ahmed Soomro and Justice Amjad Ali Sahito had earlier remarked that Sindh’s economy was based upon agriculture products and if the locust swarms could not be eliminated, then there was a possibility of food scarcity in the province.

Director Agriculture Rasool Bakhsh told the court that anti-locust spray was carried out around 457,000 acres of standing crops in Khairpur, Sukkur, Ghotki and other parts of Sindh. The deputy commissioner Sukkur also submitted his report about controlling the stray dog bite cases, and told the court that the campaign was still going on and hundreds of dogs were already poisoned.

Additional Advocate Shafi Muhammad Chandio told the court that the Sindh government had written a letter to the federal government for provision of aircraft, vehicles and medicines for spray to eliminate the locust swarms but the federal government did not assist the provincial government. Besides, hundreds of stray dogs were poisoned. The court was adjourned till next hearing on February 19 after reviewing the report.