Expedite work on Kachhi, Pat Feeder canals for uplift of Local Communities
- January 31, 2015, 10:36 am
- Breaking News
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QUETTA Jan 30 (PPI): The Government must provide sustainable irrigation water to agricultural lands of the ?green belt? of Baluchistan Province so as to increase agricultural production and uplift the socio economic condition of the inhabitants. Local communities living around Kacchi & Pat Feeder canals are landless and poor and they should be allotted lands especially in the canal extension programmes.
This was stated by the participants of policy seminar on ?Water & Land Rights of Local Communities in areas around Kachhi and Pat Feeder canals in Baluchistan? held in a local hotel today in Quetta. The seminar was organized by Dost Tanzeem and the National Peasants Coalition of Pakistan (NPCP) in collaboration with Oxfam and Society for Conservation and Protection of Environment (SCOPE).
The speakers expressed concern over the slow pace of work on the canal projects and urged the Government to immediately resolve all the issues, including that of design, and complete the projects as soon as possible. They also said that further delay in completion of the project will not be accepted at any cost as Kachhi and Pat Feeder canals are of immense importance for the development of local agriculture and uplift of poverty stricken areas of Baluchistan.
Tahir Hasnain of SCOPE, in his welcome address, said that Kachhi and Pat Feeder are not just water canals; these are in fact the only hope of mass population living around these two projects. He voiced for the right to Indus water of people of Baluchistan which can no longer be denied. He added that these canals will not only boost agriculture of many districts of Baluchistan, but will also address local poverty; increase employment opportunities; improve health & education; bring about prosperity; end extremism, militarization and criminal activities; and will increase welfare of women and children. The next step, he demanded, would be to distribute state land around Canal projects among local landless peasants and any policy of denying their right to land will shatter the hopes for prosperity in the area.
Qazi Altaf Kalwar of Dost Tanzeem said that we are gathered here to strengthen hands of our elected Parliamentarians who have the obligation on them to fight for water and land rights of vast population living around Kachhi and Pat Feeder canal. He feared that so far the delaying tactics in completing the projects has raised cost of the projects manifold and that it was probably to do more corruption and also to keep the people of Baluchistan deprived of their water and land rights.
Addressing the participants, Mr. William Barkat, MPA (National Party) from Government said that we need to develop Baluchistan Province and use the land to grow more stuff. He emphasized on the need to expedite Kachhi and Pat Feeder canals so that local poverty and food insecurity issues are addressed and rural economy is strengthened through boosting agricultural activities and proving more employment opportunities to locals. He promised that recommendations of this seminar will be shared with his other colleagues and he will also raise these on the floor of Assembly.
Naseebullah Khan Bazai, Secretary Irrigation, shared all the issues and hurdles involved in the way of completing Kachhi and Pat Feeder Canals. He emphasized the positive role of local MPAs and responsible use of water. Mr. Bazai said that under current policy and funding allocations from the Federal and Povincial Governments, the both canal projects are likely to pick pace and completed soon.
Sheikh Muhammad Nawaz, additional Secretary-Public Health & Engineering, said that let us figure out how to divert most of the flood waters to these canals for Agricultural use in Balochistan. Think about the people who would benefit from the irrigated land, the jobs it will create, the food it will provide and above all, the confidence it will give to our people of Baluchistan who have always felt left out, he stated.
Earlier, Noor Nabi Rohoojo and Abdul Karim Mengal of NPCP welcomed the participants and introduced about the initiative of NPCP for securing land rights of landless peasants in the country. The seminar was also addressed by Haider Baloch, Abdul Star Bangulzai and Sultan Ahmad.
