FAISALABAD:Divisional Commissioner Dr Imran Hamid Sheikh has directed relevant departments to launch effective and indiscriminate action against canal water theft and ensure uninterrupted supply of irrigation water to tail-end farmers during the ongoing crop season.
He issued these directives while chairing a meeting at his office. He reviewed the measures for preventing water theft and ensuring equitable distribution of canal water among farmers.
He directed officials of the Irrigation, Agriculture and Revenue departments, along with Additional Deputy Commissioners (Enforcement), to conduct regular inspections in their respective Qanungoi circles and submit daily reports regarding inspections and enforcement actions.
Dr Imran Hamid Sheikh emphasized that farmers must receive their legitimate share of irrigation water up to the tail-end of canals particularly during the critical crop season. Any negligence or obstruction in this regard would not be tolerated, he added.
He directed the concerned officers to take strict action against influential elements involved in canal water theft without any discrimination, ensuring that genuine farmers were not deprived of their rightful irrigation supplies.
The divisional commissioner also instructed the officials to mobilize Lambardars at grassroots level and strengthen their coordination with farmers to identify water theft, promptly address complaints and improve the effectiveness of monitoring mechanisms.
He stressed that all relevant departments must fulfill their responsibilities diligently and ensure that inspections were followed by immediate legal action against those found violating the law.
He said that effective enforcement and prompt resolution of farmers’ complaints were essential to restoring public confidence and ensuring transparency in the distribution of irrigation water.
During meeting, Chief Engineer Irrigation Department presented an inspection report covering the preceding 15 days and briefed the participants about the measures taken to address farmers’ complaints regarding canal water distribution.
The meeting also reviewed the issues relating to electricity bills of farmers while Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO) officials assured the divisional commissioner that necessary measures would be taken to facilitate farmers facing difficulties in obtaining installments of electricity bills and resolving complaints regarding excessive billing.
The commissioner’s directions followed concerns raised a day earlier by Farmers Board representative Mian Rehan-ul-Haq Advocate during a meeting chaired by the Provincial Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, where certain issues relating to FESCO were highlighted.
Taking notice of the concerns, the divisional commissioner had directed the relevant authorities to address the problems faced by farmers and ensure timely relief.
Additional Commissioner Coordination Qaiser Abbas Rind, officials of FESCO, Irrigation and other relevant departments were also present in the meeting in addition to the office-bearers of Farmers Board.