Excessive covered area: Supreme Court questions illegal use of agro-farms

SC bench seeks government stance on the issue; judge reprimands farm owners, civic agency officials.

ISLAMABAD:

The Supreme Court on Thursday again questioned the illegal use of agricultural farms and sought the government’s stance on the issue.

A three-judge bench of the apex court on Thursday reprimanded the owners and civic agency officials for violation of rules. The bench directed the federal government’s counsel to submit his stance on the issue, saying the government’s top lawyer had earlier pledged that all violations will be rectified.

The court adjourned the case due to absence of the Capital Development Authority’s lawyer.

The agro-farm owners’ counsel Ali Zafar, who is also owns one of such farms, pleaded the case before the three-judge bench headed by Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali.

Zafar held CDA responsible for allowing construction on the agro-farms in the first place. Justice Jamali reprimanded owners and CDA officials for such violations. The judge observed that as per rules, the owners of these farms were supposed to produce edibles and supply them to the capital market on subsidized rates.

Uptill now total 504 agro-farms in various schemes have been allotted out of which buildings on 350 have been constructed. These agro-farms were allotted initially on 33 years lease period.

The lease period of 117 agro-farms has expired and will only be extended after the demolition of excess structure beyond the newly approved limits of covered area.

A source in the civic body told The Express Tribune that CDA has prepared a policy paper on how to regulate agro-farms.

A number of armed forces’ officials, bureaucrats, judges, politicians, lawyers and journalists are among the owners.

The authority in compliance with the direction of the Supreme Court has recently restored all agro-farms to their original form and purpose keeping in view the genuine requirements of a farm.

Accordingly to the Board decision now the covered area of manager’s residence would be 2,250 sq.ft. against the previously permissible covered area of 12,500 sq.ft.

Similarly, the covered area for office block would be 1,000 sq.ft, kitchen orcanteen with toilet at 500 sq.ft, servant block 500 sq.ft, tractor or trolley room 500 sq.ft, and guard room 100 sq.ft.

In total the covered area permissible is 4,850 sq.ft against the previously permissible 12,500 sq.ft.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 30^th, 2013.