PESHAWAR, June 2: The NWFP government has banned transferring (mutation) and development of land in southern parts of the province falling under water reservoir of the proposed Kurram-Tangi dam, according to official sources.
“The ban has been imposed through a recently issued provincial ordinance,” said official sources.
Islamabad recently announced execution of the multi-purpose Kurram-Tangi dam, primarily meant to enhance country’s water storage capacity.
The list of villages which would fall in the project area of the dam has already been prepared for the purpose of implementing the ban imposed through an ordinance by the provincial governor.
Instructions to the effect of introducing ban on mutation and development of land in the areas falling under the water reservoir and canal command areas — majority in the settled parts of the province and some situated within the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) — were issued by the provincial chief secretary after the relevant federal authorities had approved the execution of the multi-purpose project.
The project would bring some 350,000 acres of un-irrigated area under cultivation in the southern districts of the Frontier province, including the desert-like area of Lakki Marwat and adjoining Bannu district.
The recently imposed ban on mutation and development of land would be applicable to some 189 villages — majority in the settled parts of the southern belt of the province, specially in Bannu district.
Nobody would be allowed to transfer his or her land to other’s name, thereby, land transactions have been barred in the project area — for which the government needs some Rs100 million for conducting feasibility studies.
School boys’ body: Alumni of St. Mary High School here have constituted a body ‘St. Mary Old Boys Association’, with a pledge to work for the social development.
Speaking at the maiden gathering of the new body on Saturday evening, school Principal Shanthi Liknaas expressed the hope that the organization would certainly serve the humanity, as its many members held key positions at various government departments.
Mr Abbas, founding member of the alumni body, highlighted the difficulties in forming the association. “ It was a very difficult task to contact and assemble old students of the school on a single platform”, he commented.
He informed the audience that the old boys association would organize a programme in December on a grand scale, as, he hoped, by then the members of the association would considerably increase.