PESHAWAR, March 23: The city district government has been trying to acquire 92,000 kanal for the construction of a township for government employees in the provincial capital. City District Nazim Haji Ghulam Ali told Dawn that a site had been identified for the new settlement and section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act had been invoked in Hazarkhani area, where the proposed township would be built.

After issuing an order under section 4 of the act, sale and purchase of property had been prohibited in three union councils of Town-IV — Hazarkhaniwal, Chamkani and Musazi for an indefinite period.

The district government has planned to build township for the provincial and district government employees on “no loss and no profit basis”.

After the Hayatabad and the Regi township schemes, this will be the third largest planned housing scheme in Peshawar.

Work on the multi-billion Regi township project had been suspended for the last five months owing to land dispute with some local groups, who claimed ownership.

Nazim Ghulam Ali said that despite opposition by some groups the district government would go ahead for land acquisition required for the proposed housing schemes.

He said that after invoking section 4, the District Revenue Officer (DRO) would fix rate for the land to be acquired for the new township scheme. The government would now appoint a land acquisition collector for the purpose of acquiring the said land.