Discouraging housing schemes at cultivable land: Punjab government considering to move bill in Assembly

The Punjab government is considering to move a bill in the provincial assembly of Punjab to discourage setting up of housing schemes at cultivable land. This move is being made to ensure availability of maximum cultivable land for wheat and other produces, Senior Advisor to Chief Minister Punjab, Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa said while responding to a question at a news conference, here on Friday.
He said the Chief Minister had already taken serious notice of decline in cultivable land area due to setting up of housing societies. Briefing the media men about wheat procurement drive currently in progress in the Punjab province, Zulifqar Ali Khosa said the Punjab government had set up 390 wheat purchase centres for the procurement of four million tonnes of wheat from the growers at Rs 950 per 40-kg.
He said necessary safeguards have been taken to ensure provision of wheat support price to the growers. The interests of farmers will be safeguarded during ongoing wheat procurement campaign and payment of Rs 950 per 40kg wheat will be ensured to the farmers for their produce, he assured.
He said Passco would procure 1.5 million tonnes of wheat while private sector would purchase 4-5 million tons of wheat. Zulifqar Ali Khosa further said the Punjab government would also provide wheat to other provinces as well as Azad Kashmir. He said Balochistan had requested for 100,000 tonnes of wheat while the NWFP had asked for 150,000 tonnes of wheat.
Talking about "Sasti Rooti Scheme," the Senior Advisor to CM said the Punjab government would continue this scheme and in this regard the number of registered Tandoors would be increased from 12,000 to 30,000. He said the government was giving subsidy of Rs 8 billion on this scheme.