OKARA: A tract of 77 acres of land has been allocated for setting a sub-campus of the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, on GT Road.

It is the outcome of five-year efforts of the district administration and some local parliamentarians led by PML-N MNA Rao Muhammad Ajmal Khan.

The site is 8km from here, adjacent to the sub-campus of the University of Education (UoE).

The land possession was handed over to the UAF at a function hosted by Rao Muhammad Ajmal Khan where Vice-Chancellor Prof DR Iqrar Ahmad Khan, Sahiwal Divisional Commisioner Sohail Shahzad, District Coordination Officer Kaiser Saleem, MPAs Mian Muhammad Munir, Chaudhry Javid Allauddin and notables were also present.

Prof Iqrar said on the occasion that Okara and its agriculturists were known across the country for quality potato, maize, pea and green chilies.

Rao Ajmal Khan said they were thankful to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif for granting Rs500 million for the first phase of the campus which included building of administration and academic blocks in three years.

MPA Mian Muhammad Munir and Chaudhry Javid Allauddin said Rs150m would be spent on approach roads to the sub-campus.

The UAF sub-campus was earlier set up in Deepalpur tehsil of the district in 2007 but it was closed in 2010 due to litigation over land.

Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2015

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