Agro-farms: Violators have it their way

Officials silently stop the operation against the influential owners.

ISLAMABAD:

The high and the mighty have prevailed. Putting the directives of Supreme Court on the backburner, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has silently dropped its operation against violators of the agriculture farms.

After receiving threatening phone calls from influential quarters, as an official put it, the enforcement wing of the civic agency has suspended crackdown against the farm owners to remove the violations of laws was stopped by . “The top officials of CDA have offered unnecessary relaxation to these people, who keep on demanding more time,” he added.

The relevant departments on the other hand are shifting blame on each other for this “unwanted full stop”.

An official of CDA Directorate of Enforcement told The Express Tribune that it was initially the responsibility of the Building Control Section (BCS) to lead them in the operation. “Without the guidance of BCS we are not in a position to take action against anyone,” he said. On the other hand, BCS officials said that they have already identified the violations and now it was enforcement wing’s duty to comply with the court’s orders. “In compoundable cases (offences which are pardoned after fines and penalties are paid), we have collected around Rs9 million from agro-farms owners,” he said.

A senior official of CDA said that it was a part of their strategy to halt the operation to avoid resistance from the people. He said that CDA could not take action against the countless violators with its ‘small force’. “Islamabad administration was also not providing substantial assistance to achieve the desired goals,” he added.

Similarly, the police was also absolved from its responsibility on the pretext of the volatile situation in the capital. When approached, a senior official in Islamabad administration said that the police personnel were busy in maintaining law and order in the capital city and it was CDA’s responsibility to conduct a fair operation with its enforcement wing.”

But we have still deputed a reasonable number of police personnel to assist CDA staff in routine operation, he added.

The issue was earlier taken up by the Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, through a suo motu notice a few years ago. The action was taken based on the media reports against the misuse of CDA agro-farms by “influential individuals”. Chief justice had directed the CDA chairperson to form a commission to investigate the matter. In the report, made by the commission, 505 agro-farms in different localities of the capital, including Tarlai Kalan, Chak Shahzad, Sehana, Orchard Scheme H-9 and Nursery Scheme Park Road near Chak Shahzad were surveyed.

As per CDA bylaws for agro-farming schemes, at least 80% of the allotted land has to be brought under cultivation. The entire project has to be brought in full production within two years and the output has to be sold at reduced rates in CDA Sasta Bazaars.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 1^st, 2011.