Agri-research council: SC stays plan to convert land into housing society

Three-member bench is hearing the case


Hasnaat Malik September 03, 2015
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ISLAMABAD: The top court has granted stay against plan to use National Agricultural Research Council (NARC)’s 1,395.2 acre land to build a housing society.

A three-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Jawwad S Khawaja, gave the directive while hearing a suo motu case on Thursday.

The court also sought concise statements from the federal government and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) over the application, filed by the NARC President, Muhammad Altaf Sher against possible conversion of NARC land for building a housing society.

Sher informed the court that CDA chairperson had sent a summary to the prime minister through Cabinet Division to raise a housing society on the NARC land. He apprised that they had been conducting research on agriculture in collaboration with numerous international organisations.

During the hearing, Naib Gardezi representing the federal government informed: “The summary is under consideration but not likely to be approved in the next 10 days.”

He informed that the Federal Minister for National Food Security, Sikandar Bosan wrote a letter to the prime minister requesting him to stop implementation on construction on the planned housing society.

The bench ruled: “In these circumstances the summary shall be kept pending until next date of hearing that is September 16.”

The court noted that the NARC was a national asset and it should be avoided from any irreparable damage.

The bench said that the government could not sell it without the permission of people.

The CDA counsel said that in 2005 the land was allotted on lease, which ended in 2013.

The chief justice said that people were not getting flour, but a privileged section of society wanted to build a housing society on state land.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 4th, 2015.

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