Setting up of housing colony at NARC: government warned of street protest if CDA's proposal not rejected

Members of Employees Associations of the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) along with scientists Tuesday warned the government that they will take to the streets, in case the proposal to set up a housing colony by erasing National Agriculture Research Centre (NARC) is not rejected immediately.
They said that erasing the country's top agriculture research institution 'NARC' would be nothing less than economic suicide. They urged the government not to victimise the agriculture sector at the cost of housing societies. The scientists and office-bearers of PARC Employee Association said this while addressing a function organised in support of NARC and against Capital Development Authority (CDA's) proposal. The CDA has submitted a proposal to the Prime Minister for conversion of the land allotted to NARC, into residential and commercial blocks for generation of revenue.
The scientists were of the view that the meeting of National Assembly's Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research scheduled to be held on Tuesday at NARC to discuss the matter regarding re-planning of NARC site for revenue generation was cancelled following directions of some influential people.
The Scientists and Employees Associations of PARC demanded to hold immediate meetings of National Assembly and Senate Committees' on National Food Security and Research (NFS&R) to devise comprehensive strategy for frustrating the land-grabbing move of CDA. Dr Altaf Sher, President, PARC Scientists Association, said that establishment of housing society on NARC land would be a murder of agriculture sector, which has been contributing 24 percent to GDP and employing 45 percent of the country's labour force.
He said more than 40 precious years had been spent on development of NARC, and if dismantled, it would perhaps take 80 years to develop it to the existing stage. NARC has been established with the financial assistance of foreign agriculture organisations and donors, adding that currently about nine international organisations had offices in the NARC premises.
"There are more than 24,000 germplasm - the living genetic resources such as seed or tissue that is maintained for the purpose of animal and plant breeding, preservation, and other research uses-how can it be relocated," he said. Rana Maqsood, Chairman, PARC Employees Association, asked scientists to unite against the brutal plan of CDA to save agriculture sector, which was feeding over 200 million people.
Chaudhry Jahangir, President, PARC Employees Association, said it was high time and agriculture scientists must send a strong message to the government to stop developing housing societies at the cost of agriculture sector. Later, scientists and other employees marched towards the main gate of NARC and staged a protest demonstration on the Park Road by blocking the road for traffic for half an hour and demanded Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to reject the CDA's proposal of setting up of a housing colony at the site of NARC. The protesters chanted different slogans in favour of their demands including "No Compromise on NARC", "Convene early meeting of Standing Committees, and Go Nawaz Go".