Greed of some people in this country knows no bounds. The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has come up with a sordid plan to turn an important agricultural research facility into a real estate business project. According to a Recorder report, the CDA has submitted a proposal to the Prime Minister for the conversion of the land allotted to the National Agriculture Research Centre (NARC) into residential and commercial plots as 'a revenue generation scheme'. NARC is spread over an area of 1395 acres, including 1149 acres of farmland with two water reservoirs. It is located in Zone-IV of Islamabad, which as per the original master plan of the capital city, is designated as agricultural land.
Yet those behind the scheme seem so sure of getting the go-ahead from the Prime Minister that the proposal summary also mentions that people have been selected to manage various aspects of the project. Given the plain absurdity of the proposal, it could not have made it to PM's office unless of course influential individuals are involved. Some people have expressed the suspicion that this is being done at the behest of a ruling party MNA to enhance the value of 100 acres of land adjacent to the NARC that he owns. That may or may not be the case. What is obvious is that there are several potential beneficiaries of the plan: from project managers to developers, construction contractors and grabbers of choice residential and commercial plots. To say the least, it is sad that anyone in Islamabad should even think such a land grab scheme at the expense of an existing research and development facility could be approved by the Prime Minister.
Since the issue has come to light, aside from a section of the media spotlighting it, the scientific community has also come out against the CDA's disgraceful designs. At a recent meeting in Islamabad, members of Pakistan Academy of Sciences expressed serious concerns over the proposal, pointing out that it is the responsibility of the government to further improve the standard of research institutions. As a major research centre, among other things, NARC maintains more than 24,000 living genetic resources, known as germplasm, used for plant and animal breeding and research purposes. Needless to say, research and innovation promote progress and prosperity, and hence must figure prominently in any strategy for development. The government needs to devote maximum possible resources to this endeavour. The Prime Minister's office should be receiving requests of more resources for research and development rather than a proposal for the sell-off of agricultural research land. Whosoever has advanced this revenue generation idea does not deserve to stay in the Capital Development Authority. For, they cannot be trusted not to abuse position for other shady projects. And the Prime Minister is expected not only to reject the proposal but also to take its initiators to task.
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