Prime Minister Imran Khan has termed the unplanned proliferation of housing schemes on agricultural land a growing threat to the national food security.
Keeping that in view, the government is going to transfer powers from divisional commissioners to provincial cabinets for the regulated development of housing schemes on the agricultural land.
At a meeting of the cabinet last week, the premier revealed that master plans for major cities were being updated to ring-fence the metropolises and encourage their vertical expansion.
Furthermore, the powers to permit the execution of housing schemes on agricultural land were being taken away from the divisional commissioners and given to the provincial cabinets in order to check the unbridled conversion of green areas into grey zones.
Development of smaller cities, besides providing quality healthcare and educational facilities in rural areas, was also suggested by members of the cabinet to curb rapid urbanisation.
Special assistant to the prime minister on climate change proposed the inclusion of Climate Change Division secretary in the National Food Security and Management Committee (NFSMC), to which the house agreed.
National Food Security and Research Division secretary brought to the cabinet’s notice the shortage of urea, which was causing great difficulties to farmers.
Responding to that, the minister for industries and production explained that in comparison to last year, around 150,000 tons of additional urea was produced this year despite gas shortage.
The increase in output was enough to offset the reduction in inventory available last year, he said and emphasised that the shortage was not nationwide and it was experienced only in a few areas.
However, some cabinet members disagreed with the explanation, arguing that the problem was much wider, the reason for which could be hoarding.
The prime minister directed the industries minister to immediately call a meeting of the fertiliser review committee to ascertain the reasons for the shortage of urea, so that the issue could be addressed expeditiously.
When the issue of gas load-shedding in Karachi was raised, the minister for energy told the meeting that the Sindh High Court had granted stay against suspending gas supply to the general industry. As a result, he said, the planned diversion of gas to domestic consumers could not be made.
PM adviser on commerce pointed to the curtailment of gas supply to exporting industries, especially the textile industry, which caused a decline in their production.
In his reply, the energy minister clarified that gas supply had been stopped only in the case of inefficient captive power plants, adding that a majority of those units had switched over to electricity consumption.
The cabinet was informed that a survey revealed that only 1-2% of textile mills, which were small units, had closed down in the wake of gas scarcity.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 30th, 2021.
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