PESHAWAR: Rapid urbanisation and unplanned construction have gobbled up 3,307 acres of agriculture land in Peshawar district over the last 13 years, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly was told on Friday.

During the question-answer session, provincial revenue minister Ali Ameen Gandapur informed the house that the total agriculture land in the provincial capital was 109,883 acres in 2001-02, which shrank to 106,576 acres in 2013-14.

He said the data compiled by the office of the deputy commissioner showed a total of 3,037 acres reduction in agriculture land due to rapid urbanisation.

Gandapur said like other districts, agriculture land in Nowshera, too, was under pressure due to construction of housing schemes and commercial activities.

He said the farmland in Nowshera measured 289,094 acres and that the houses had been built on the 6865.5 acres of it since 2000.

The minister admitted that it was a serious issue but the government was unable to stop construction on private agriculture land.

Minister tells PA there’s no law to restrict construction on agricultural land

He said there was no law to restrict construction on agriculture land.

Gandapur said the government could only prevent construction or other activities on the state owned agriculture land in the province.

He said the planning and development department was chalking out policy to stop utilisation of agriculture land for commercial or residential purposes.

Mufti Syed Janan, who had asked a question on the matter, said construction of houses on agriculture land was a major issue and provincial government should take serious measures to stop the practice.

He said construction activities on fertile lands would adversely affect agriculture sector in the province, which was already facing serious deficiency of food production.

Speaker Asad Qaisar, who was presiding over the session, directed the government to prepare policy in three months for the conservation of agriculture lands in the province.

He also said the policy should be laid before the house.

Replying to a question, special assistant to the chief minister on industries, commerce and labour Abdul Munim told lawmakers that efforts were underway to review sick industrial units and new industrial policy was on card.

He said industrialists and investors would be offered incentives in the proposed policy.

The special assistant said a total of 486 industrial units had been closed in the province due to bankruptcy, disputes among partners and energy crisis.

Awami National Party MPA Syed Jaffar Shah through his call attention notice complained about suspension of work on Gorkeen-Matiltan Hydel power generation project in Swat.

He said the previous government had allocated Rs15 billion for the project, which would generate 84MW electricity and former chief minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti had performed its groundbreaking.

The MPA said the cost of the project had jumped to over Rs22 billion but work on it continued to be suspended.

He said the cost would escalate further if the government did not ensure completion of the project by 2015.

Taking the floor, elementary and secondary education minister Atif Khan said if the cost of the project exceeded Rs10 billion then it required approval of Central Working Development Party (CWDP).

He said work on the project had been deferred after the federal government raised reservations about its cost.

The minister said the matter would be taken up at all relevant forums, including the Council of Common Interest.

He criticised the federal government for creating hurdle to the project’s execution and complained there was a serious shortage of electricity in the country.

RESOLUTION: The House unanimously passed a resolution asking the federal government and the National Highway Authority to allow traffic through under construction Lowari Tunnel linking Chitral with other parts of the country.

MPA Sardar Hussain tabled the resolution, which demanded permission for vehicles to use the tunnel three days a week.

He said Lowari Pass had been closed due to snowfall and that over half a million people of the district could not move out due to it.

BILLS: Also in the session, the government tabled the Evacuee Trust Properties (Management and Disposal) Bill, Pension Fund (Amendment) Bill, General Provident Investment Fund and Civil Servants Retirement Benefits and Death Compensation Bill, 2014.

Published in Dawn, October 25th , 2014