Survey on to get land to conserve forestland

HARIPUR: The Revenue and Forest departments officials of Haripur have started a survey of the Makhniyal area in Khanpur tehsil of the Haripur district for identifying and acquiring land on both sides of the five roads to conserve the forestland, official sources and local people told The News here on Sunday.

The people, however, termed it a move to deprive them of their precious commercial land and vowed to resist if the plan to "forcibly acquire" land on the pretext of conservation of forestland, was not shelved.

Sources, while sharing some documentary proof (available with this correspondent) of the land acquisition process, told The News that the Divisional Forest Conservator Officer of Haripur has sent a letter to the Forest of Lower Hazara Abbottabad.

Briefing the senior officer about the progress, the official stated that a sub-committee constituted in this regard has started a survey for identification of contiguous and fragmented land within 200 ft on both sides of five roads measuring 74.1 km in length and the survey work of Pir Sohawa- Reverse Mor Road and Kohala Pul to Sarrah Pul Roads, had been completed with their revenue record.

The source shared a letter from the Secretary Forest KP to the Chief Conservator of Forest Hazara for implementation of the cabinet's decision pertaining to the identification of contiguous wasteland in Makhniyal for subsequent acquisition within 30 days.

According to Fayaz Mughal, the media coordinator of the Makhniyal Tahafuz Movement, over a half dozen landowners from the Makhniyal and surrounding areas including Col Retd Sardar Ahmed Yar Jung Durrani, had already moved the Peshawar High Court challenging that there was no Guzara land which was evident from the revenue record since 1872 that residents of the area were the owners of the land in different areas and had been paying taxes on the transfer of ownership rights for decades.