New CDA agro-farm scheme by laws restrict land subdivision

ISLAMABAD: The new agro-farm scheme of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has hit a snag because of new bylaws that don’t allow agro land to be split up.

CDA has given land for agro farms in the past. It showed 40 kanals of land and 80 kanals of land. Though the plan is still bad, it got another setback last year when the CDA changed its bylaws and banned sub-division, which was another setback for the scheme.

As per the old bylaws, the civic agency used to be able to split up farms, which meant two people could buy one agro-farm. This made it possible for more than one person to buy the property together, and they would just get it transferred to their names from the CDA. However, because of new by-laws, sub-division has been banned.

Read more with EL news : New U-Turns on Srinagar Highway eliminate Signals

Sources say the bylaws were told in 2020, but the CDA kept letting it until last year. Civic agency officials noted that subdividing would not be allowed under the current rules. It was put on hold for a while because of this.

CDA hasn’t been able to get enough food from farmers so far, says an official.

CDA spokesman Syed Asif Raza was asked about the ban on sub-division when he was asked about it. When asked, he said he would respond after getting more information about it from the officers involved.

“But, after two hours, he said: “The bylaws were sent out in 2020. I don’t know why because the people in charge are out of my reach.

It’s important to point out that the owners of agro-farms, instead of growing crops, have built stately homes on the land they were given. As a result, officials from the CDA say that they haven’t been able to get enough Agri products from the people who live there.

The CDA has said many times in the past that it will start taking action against people who break the rules of the agro-farm scheme, but it couldn’t make the promises into real things.

According to the CDA, there were supposed to be 539 farms in the city that were supposed to grow fruits and vegetables for the city’s residents. Instead, the owners have turned these farms into palaces.

The farms are spread out in different places, like Chak Shahzad, Kahuta Road, Murree Road, Tarlai Kalan, Sehana, and H-9.

LAST YEAR, the CDA said that it was ready for “a mega operation against agro-farms, which are not producing products under the allotment letter,” but then the civic body changed its mind.

In the 70s, when the CDA started giving out farmhouses, the allowed covered area was 2,500 square feet. But over time, the civic agency kept increasing the size, and now the covered area is 9,500 sq ft.

The sources said that agro-farms were sold to influential people in the country who didn’t care about meeting the needs of people in the federal capital by giving them fresh vegetables, fruit, and poultry products.

Keep up with Estate Land Marketing for news and updates.