April 8, 2006	Saturday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 9, 1427

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PESHAWAR, April 7: The city district government’s proposed housing scheme in Peshawar suburbs will considerably reduce agricultural land in the area. An irrigation official said acquisition of land for the plan would render the Peshawar canal system useless after allotment of more than 1,100 hectares of agricultural land for housing schemes.

An official said the city was being expanded without planning and farms and orchards were being replaced by housing colonies and commercial centres.

Experts said land reclamation ratio was low and ill-planned commercial activities had increased pressure on agricultural land in Peshawar and other areas in the province.

The Town-IV council has passed a resolution against the scheme, while landowners, peasants and people of the area to be affected have staged demonstrations against the project.

Town-IV Nazim Arbab Mohammad Amir said the scheme would cause unemployment, render a large number of people homeless and degrade eco-system.

“The Town-IV council and local people will not allow the district government to execute the housing project in their area. If the district nazim doesn’t abandon the proposed scheme, we will go to the court,” Arbab Amir said.

Nazims and councillors of the area alleged that the district authorities were serving the interest of land mafia.

Peshawar Nazim Haji Ghulam Ali denied the allegations, saying: “These people don’t understand the importance of the scheme. Local people are selling their property. Why should the government not purchase it?”

The district government has announced that it will acquire about 92,000 kanals in Hazarkhawni for constructing a housing scheme for government employees. The Bara river also passes through the area.

Officials said Chamkani, Hazarkhwani and Musazai union councils would be affected by the project and about 20,000 people would be displaced.

A district government official said that shifting of the city’s main bus terminal and truck stands to the area had also been proposed.

The government has prohibited sale of property in the area under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act.

Critics say the district government should complete the Regi model town scheme before initiating another major housing project.

Work on the Regi town comprising more than 20,000 residential plots has remained suspended for six months because of a land dispute between the government and owners.

An official said the new project had been announced without proper homework and even the planning and finance sections of the district government were unaware of its modalities.

The area selected for the housing scheme produces a variety of crops, vegetables and fruits for the district, according to agriculture department officials.

“The government is supposed to introduce land zoning laws to ban conversion of agricultural land for residential and commercial activities to protect farmlands from depletion,” said an official.

Local government representatives of the area said the scheme would have a negative impact on the agriculture sector.

Hazarkhawniwal Union Council Nazim Hidayatullah said arid land was available but the district nazim was bent upon using fertile land for commercial projects.