Commissioner Orders Daily Reports on Canal Water Theft

Key Points:

The Commissioner Faisalabad has ordered daily reports of inspection and action in the qanungoi circles to stop canal water theft across the division
No obstruction will be tolerated in the supply of canal water to farmers at the tail end during the season
Departments have been told to rein in the “big crocodiles” involved in water theft so genuine farmers receive their share of water
The Chief Engineer Irrigation has presented a 15-day inspection report and said effective steps are under way to resolve farmers’ complaints
FESCO has assured steps on instalments of farmers’ electricity bills and complaints of overbilling

FAISALABAD: The Commissioner Faisalabad has ordered daily reports of inspection and action against canal water theft in the division’s qanungoi circles so that farmers receive water at the tail end, officials said.

The move follows the instructions of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz for stopping canal water theft and ensuring water supply to farmers at the tail end.

Commissioner Dr Imran Hamid Sheikh directed the additional deputy commissioners (enforcement) and the Irrigation, Agriculture and Revenue departments to send in reports of their inspections and action in the qanungoi circles every day.

He said no obstruction would be tolerated in the supply of canal water to farmers at the tail end during the season. He told the departments concerned to be mindful of their responsibilities.

The departments were directed to rein in the “big crocodiles” involved in water theft so that genuine farmers received their share of water.

He also called for activating numberdars at the grassroots level and stepping up contact with farmers. Farmers, he said, should be satisfied with the inspections and the action against law-breakers.

Wheat Sowing Under Way on 1.86 Million Acres in Faisalabad Division

The Chief Engineer Irrigation presented a 15-day inspection report and said effective steps were under way to resolve farmers’ complaints.

On the Commissioner’s prompting, FESCO assured the administration it would take steps on the instalments of farmers’ electricity bills and complaints of overbilling.

A day earlier, Kissan Board representative Mian Rehan-ul-Haq Advocate had raised FESCO-related issues at a meeting chaired by the provincial parliamentary secretary for agriculture. The Commissioner had then asked FESCO to resolve the matter.