PESHAWAR, June 29: A resident of Swabi has moved the Peshawar High Court against the recent renaming of Swabi irrigation circle as Hazara irrigation circle and relocating its head office from Swabi to Abbottabad.

One Rahim Taz Khan of Swabi has filed a writ petition, requesting the PHC to declare an impugned notification issued on June 16 by the government concerning renaming and relocation of Swabi irrigation circle to Hazara as illegal and without lawful authority.

The petitioner also requested for interim relief, praying the court that till final disposal of the writ petition the impugned notification be suspended and the government restrained from relocating officials of Swabi irrigation circle from their office in Swabi.

The respondents in the petition include Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary, ministry of irrigation, provincial secretary of irrigation department, and ministry of finance through its secretary.

The petition, filed through advocates Haziq Ali Shah and Khairul Wahab, states that the ministry of irrigation has a number of circles, including Swabi irrigation circle. They said that this circle was previously called Project Circle for Small Irrigation Scheme, Peshawar, and renamed in 2010 as Swabi irrigation circle. The petitioner stated that the office of the said circle was shifted to Swabi, which consisted of three divisions namely: Swabi irrigation division No 1 and Swabi irrigation division No 2 at Swabi, and Hazara irrigation division at Abbottabad.

The petitioner claimed that the total cultivable command area (CCA) in Hazara irrigation division was 48,914 acres, whereas total CCA in Swabi divisions was 2,64,233 acres. He stated that the revenue generated from Hazara irrigation division during kharif and rabbi season was Rs4.748 million and from Swabi Rs55.66 million. As such, the total area of irrigation of Swabi division was about five times more and the revenue generated was 12 times more than the Hazara division.

The petitioner stated that a separate and independent building was allocated, repaired and renovated for the transfer of Swabi circle from Peshawar in 2011. He added that abrupt decision for relocation of its head office from Swabi to Abbottabad would not only cause inconvenience to majority of people concerned, but also result in financial losses to the government exchequer.

The petitioner contended that the renaming and relocation of the Swabi irrigation circle was in violation of fundamental rights of people of Swabi, Nowshera, Mardan and Buner districts.