DADU: Hundreds of farmers, landowners and local residents from over 40 villages staged a sit-in for more than eight hours against what they claimed damage to local crops, trees, land and water reserves destroyed during an oil and gas survey conducted by the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL).

They marched from Jhangara Bajara Road to the main gate of the OGDCL field office in Jhangara Bajara town, Johi taluka, and staged the sit-in there.Villages of Dad Mohammad Rind, Sajan Khan Rind, Ibrahim Khan Rind, Daood Khan Rind, Raheem Bakhsh Rind and Brahmani were among the affected areas.

Leading the protest, Sajan Khan Rind, Mian Bakhsh Rind and Mohammad Ibrahim Rind accused the company of neglecting their basic demands for compensation and employment of the local people in the company.

Despite significant damage to vital crops such as wheat, land, treesand water reserves, the company had not provided any compensation, they added They said the company denied employment to local residents even as daily wage earners, otherwise outsiders from other provinces were being hired.

The protesters claimed that the local community had been receiving threats of dire consequences after repeated complaints to the company`s administration, prompting the farmers and villagers to demand immediate action.-Correspondent