ISLAMABAD: Although rumours have been circulating in the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has rejected the Capital Development Authority’s (CDA) proposal to establish a housing society on the centre’s land, NARC employees have not been able to get any written confirmation of these reports.

In addition, an official file asking the PM to reject the proposal, could not reach the PM’s Office in time due to red tape.

Agricultural scientists and NARC employees were shocked last week after CDA sought approval from the PM to convert National Agricultural Research Centre land, located in Chak Shahzad, into a residential and commercial sector for revenue generation purposes. Stakeholders believe the proposal was prepared by money-oriented minds who completely disregarded the importance of NARC to agricultural research in the country.

After these reports surfaced, NARC employees and allied scientists began lobbying to block the implementation of the decision. They contacted parliamentarians and also approached the Pakistan Academy of Sciences (PAS), which held a press conference on June 18 to demand the government take notice of this proposal, which, they said, would be a blow to the agriculture sector and could also become a matter of international embarrassment for the country.

CDA had leased out 1,395 acres (over 11,000 Kanals) of land to NARC in 1970s. However, as the city expanded over time, the land allotted to NARC became prime real estate in the city. The lease expired in 2005, but CDA did not renew it despite continuous reminders from the NARC, which claims it has been depositing the rent every year since.

Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) Scientists’ Association President Mohammad Altaf Sher told Dawn that as soon as the association learnt of the issue, it decided to request PM Nawaz Sharif to intervene and take notice.

“We sent a file to the PM Office on Thursday, but according to the rules, it has to be sent through the proper channels, so the file was sent to the Ministry of Food Security and Research, which then forwarded it to the Cabinet Division,” he said.

“As the file has to go from a section officer to a joint secretary on to an additional secretary and then to the permanent secretary, it could not reach the PM Office in time,” he said.

“In that file, we have contended that NARC is a four-decade old department that is now bearing fruit, so it would not be wise to remove or relocate it. Moreover, it is also stated that according to current estimates, international donors have invested around Rs100 billion on the NARC. In case of its disbandment, who will spend Rs100 billion on NARC again,” he asked.

“The country will have to face embarrassment before donors such as Japan, who have been investing in NARC for decades. At the GeneBank and Plant Genetic Resources Institute alone, there are over 35,000 Germplasms, worth of billions of rupees, which have to be stored at -35 degrees Celsius. They cannot be shifted,” he said.

“The PM has also been told that currently, eight international organizations are working at NARC under 50 MoUs. Foreign delegations frequently visit NARC and it is located in a secure area, and should not be relocated,” he said.

PARC Employees Association President Chaudhry Mohammad Jahangir told Dawn that he learnt on Thursday evening that CDA gave a presentation to the PM, where he rejected the proposal.

“Although food security secretary Seerat Asghar confirmed as much to PARC Chairman Dr Iftikhar Ahmad, but we have been waiting for the official reply on the summary sent to the PM’s Office,” he said.

“Only after getting an official reply will we be in a position to say that the issue has been resolved,” he said.

The PM’s Office could not be reached for comment, despite repeated attempts.

Published in Dawn, June 21st, 2015

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