Standing on agriculture: Lawmakers collectively oppose housing societies
CM Khattak assures the Havelian scheme will not be constructed on arable land.
K-P Chief Minister Pervez Khattak PHOTO: APP
PESHAWAR:
Members of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly were informed by Chief Minister (CM) Pervez Khattak on Thursday that the government has acquired over 115,000 kanals of land to establish housing societies in Peshawar. However, he assured them agricultural land will not be appropriated for the purpose.
The CM said the government also planned to construct a ‘motorway city’ in Peshawar.
This was said in response to an attention notice by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker from Abbottabad, Sardar Aurangzeb Nalhota, on the construction of a housing society in Dhamtour, Havelian tehsil in Abbottabad.
Land matters
Khattak said the Havelian scheme has been discussed at official levels and assured lawmakers no agricultural land would be acquired for the project. The housing scheme is being built on 7,000 kanals of which 2,500 is reportedly agricultural land. The government has directed authorities to not acquire agricultural land for the project, Khattak reiterated.
Earlier, the PML-N lawmaker stated the provincial government has ordered the acquisition of land in Dhamtur to construct a housing society after imposing Section 4 of the land acquisition act. The act earmarks land for official projects and bars landowners from carrying out any buying or selling of real estate. He said the move is opposed by locals who are not ready to provide their property.
Nalhota demanded the provincial government revoke Section 4 in Banda Syed Khan and Shakar Mera as the lands were small in size and dear to the locals for agricultural purposes. The issue can also result in a law and order situation as locals have protested at least five times against the project. The government cannot legally construct a housing society on agricultural land, argued the MPA.
Joining houses
Nalhota was also backed by treasury lawmakers, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf MPA from Hazara Sardar Idrees and Adviser to CM on Food Qalandar Khan Lodhi who asked the government to review the decision.
Idrees argued Abbottabad was a small district and the government should avoid using agricultural land for a housing society while Lodhi said agricultural land could not be used for commercial purposes and asked the government to review its decision.
Qaumi Watan Party MPA Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli also backed Nalhota and said the land act prohibits the utilisation of agricultural land for commercial purposes and asked the assembly speaker to refer the matter to the relevant committee for a detailed discussion.
Minister for Revenue Ali Amin Gandapur said the government will address the concerns of locals with regards to the imposition of Section 4 on specific tracts of land in Havelian.
Moreover, five bills from members of the treasury benches including the K-P Medical Transplantation Regulatory Authority Bill 2014, K-P Surrender of Illicit Arms Bill 2014, K-P Public Private Partnership Bill 2014, K-P Journalist Welfare Endowment Fund Bill 2014 and K-P River Protection (Amendment) Bill 2014 were introduced before the house.
The session was later adjourned till Friday (today) afternoon.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 14th, 2014.
Members of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly were informed by Chief Minister (CM) Pervez Khattak on Thursday that the government has acquired over 115,000 kanals of land to establish housing societies in Peshawar. However, he assured them agricultural land will not be appropriated for the purpose.
The CM said the government also planned to construct a ‘motorway city’ in Peshawar.
This was said in response to an attention notice by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker from Abbottabad, Sardar Aurangzeb Nalhota, on the construction of a housing society in Dhamtour, Havelian tehsil in Abbottabad.
Land matters
Khattak said the Havelian scheme has been discussed at official levels and assured lawmakers no agricultural land would be acquired for the project. The housing scheme is being built on 7,000 kanals of which 2,500 is reportedly agricultural land. The government has directed authorities to not acquire agricultural land for the project, Khattak reiterated.
Earlier, the PML-N lawmaker stated the provincial government has ordered the acquisition of land in Dhamtur to construct a housing society after imposing Section 4 of the land acquisition act. The act earmarks land for official projects and bars landowners from carrying out any buying or selling of real estate. He said the move is opposed by locals who are not ready to provide their property.
Nalhota demanded the provincial government revoke Section 4 in Banda Syed Khan and Shakar Mera as the lands were small in size and dear to the locals for agricultural purposes. The issue can also result in a law and order situation as locals have protested at least five times against the project. The government cannot legally construct a housing society on agricultural land, argued the MPA.
Joining houses
Nalhota was also backed by treasury lawmakers, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf MPA from Hazara Sardar Idrees and Adviser to CM on Food Qalandar Khan Lodhi who asked the government to review the decision.
Idrees argued Abbottabad was a small district and the government should avoid using agricultural land for a housing society while Lodhi said agricultural land could not be used for commercial purposes and asked the government to review its decision.
Qaumi Watan Party MPA Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli also backed Nalhota and said the land act prohibits the utilisation of agricultural land for commercial purposes and asked the assembly speaker to refer the matter to the relevant committee for a detailed discussion.
Minister for Revenue Ali Amin Gandapur said the government will address the concerns of locals with regards to the imposition of Section 4 on specific tracts of land in Havelian.
Moreover, five bills from members of the treasury benches including the K-P Medical Transplantation Regulatory Authority Bill 2014, K-P Surrender of Illicit Arms Bill 2014, K-P Public Private Partnership Bill 2014, K-P Journalist Welfare Endowment Fund Bill 2014 and K-P River Protection (Amendment) Bill 2014 were introduced before the house.
The session was later adjourned till Friday (today) afternoon.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 14th, 2014.