Fiaz Boota is all excitement these days. He is expecting lady luck to shine on him and turn his fortunes overnight. Thanks to a private housing scheme planner, who offered him millions of rupees for the acres of agriculture land Boota farms on Burki Road.

Having tilled soil and harvested crops of vegetables for the longest time, he foresaw no greater profits than what he had been making all this while. Besides, he was fed up with the glitches in farming. Hence, he rushed to accept the first ‘lucrative’ offer that came his way. He was supposed to sell his arable land where he grew potatoes, onions, tomatoes and wheat.

God knows Fiaz Boota is not the only one who decided to chuck up his cultivated land. Today, most farmers are inclined to do the same.

This is one appalling trend -- trading agri-land for housing schemes. More than 4,000 to 5,000 hectares of agricultural lands on the fringes of the city is being consumed for urban use annually. The rest of the tilled land of 51,122 hectares is apt to be eaten up, gradually but surely.

The government authorities seem to lack a vision. They have not been able to map out the pragmatic land-use policies. If the trend continues, Lahore would soon be deprived of its own agri products.

It is a bitter fact that Lahore is fast losing its capacity to manage its own farming productivity. It is highly dependent on other parts of Punjab to feed itself. Owing to this reason, the people often suffer overpricing and fluctuation in the demand and supply of vegetables.

Haphazard development of housing schemes has not only shrunk the cultivable area but also undermined crop production, says a senior official of Punjab Agriculture Department.

The official, requesting anonymity, admits that more than 438 housing schemes -- "legal as well as illegal" -- have sprouted up along Burki Road, Raiwind Rd, Multan Rd, GT Rd and Ferozepur Rd. Most of these have swallowed the agri-land. "The department of Punjab Housing & Physical Planning, LDA, DHA Cooperative Housing schemes, and private scheme developers are the creators of this mess."

Statistics show how the decline in agri-land has led to a cut in yields of barley, pulses, oil seeds, spices, fodders, vegetables and fruits. The area spanning 12,000 acres for vegetable cultivation alone has been reduced to 8,000 acres.

Muhammad Ajmal, Project Manager, Agriculture Marketing Information Service (AMIS), is concerned about the shrinking cultivable area at the hands of rampant urban development in the city. However, he rejects the notion that the current situation may lead to food insecurity, saying that the other areas connected to Lahore are being used for farming.

One of the arguments presented in defence of the trend is that the population density is increasing at an alarming rate which means millions of housing units. Despite the recent surge in housing schemes, Lahore is still short of 30 per cent dwelling units.

However, experts maintain that the rate of agricultural land conversion into housing schemes is not higher than that of population growth and people’s demand for accommodation. They call for a detailed survey of land in order to strike a balance among the agri-land, the population swell and the demand for housing units.

Muhammad Yousaf Sabir, a real estate analyst and owner of Yousaf & Sons Associate at Architect Engineering Housing Society, is of the view that the vicinity of Raiwind was once a harbour of fruit trees and seasonal vegetables. "Unplanned housing societies ruined them.

"It’s an irony that these [housing] schemes are not playing a good role in meeting the demand of the housing units," he adds. "In most schemes, 40-50 per cent plots remain vacant.

"As bylaws have been revised, the rich owners of the vacant plots are in no fear of cancellation and they consider their investment as a safeguard against inflation. Moreover, the speculators are investing in plots because no cost and taxes are involved in having the vacant ones."

A research paper, titled ‘The Urbanisation of Arable Land in Lahore City,’ authored by Khaliq-uz-Zaman, reveals that in a lot of schemes, most plots are empty, and 75 per cent of them are in the hands of professional speculators who keep raising the cost of property. As a result, building houses becomes an unaffordable option for the low income groups.

Dr Anjum, Director General, Agriculture Extension in Punjab Agriculture Department, divulges the reason behind the conversion of agri-land into housing schemes in the following words: "The city is prone to horizontal development instead of vertical development which should be the norm. A Karachi-like flat/apartment culture may protect the tillage.

"In modern age, the cities are encouraged to produce vegetables for their own consumption. Kitchen gardening is promoted and the people are educated to plant trees, etc."

He quotes the example of Ho Chi Minh, in Vietnam, which produces 40 per cent vegetables within the city limits. "In order to save our agri-land, we should follow the Vietnamese model."

It must be mentioned here that in 2013 the City District Government of Lahore (CDGL) banned building new housing schemes with a view to protecting the cultivation of agri-land and also the environment. It was after the LDA emerged as the new master of the city and acquired massive powers that a number of housing schemes were announced.

Recently, the LDA Metropolitan Planning Department was reported as seeking to revise the Lahore Master Plan 2021. It prepared a paper to declare thousands of acres of cultivated land as usable for residential purposes on Burki and Bedian roads and the suburban parts.

In January 2015, LDA made a move to convert agri-land in the surroundings of GT Road, BRB Canal, Hadyara Drain, Badian Rd, Khaira Distributary, Burki Road and Shalimar Link Road into residential housing schemes. The move was thwarted during a public hearing, spearheaded by the Lahore Bachao Tehreek and the Conservation Society.

Rafay Alam, an expert on Urban Planning, says he has joined hands with the Public Interest Law Association of Pakistan and filed a writ petition to stop LDA from making alterations in the Lahore Master Plan 2021 regarding changing agri land into residential zones.

On the other hand, an LDA spokesman denies any amendments being made in the said plan. He says that the former DCO Noorul Ameen Mengal issued a notification for bringing about such changes but later it was pulled back.