Lahore Rea lEstate ,

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Thank you for appreciating the information about "Sialkot Airport & Housing Societies", especially I am really thankful to Mr. CMY for his kind words. I have never met or talked with him but he has been my mentor for the last couple of years. I gained a great deal of knowledge about property business from him and other participants of this forum.

Here I would like to highlight a very serious issue plaguing our society, that is, the use of agriculture land for housing societies. I am neither a farmer nor I have any financial interest in any agriculture land in Pakistan. I just wanted to express my concern about the shortage of wheat, rice and other food items and what misery we are going to face in future? Why Atta seems to become "ah, taah" day by day?

It is very sad to see the most fertile land on earth is going to be dumped under housing societies in Sialkot around its airport. This is happening all over the Pakistan. In Lahore, DHA, Bahria, and other societies are built by destroying agriculture land which was most suitable for agriculture, and which used to be vigorously cultivated. The area around Sialkot airport is that land on which rice and wheat were grown for centuries, especially world renowned basmati rice. Many Indians companies sell rice originating from this region under their brand names. The taste of rice developed naturally without adding artificial ingredient for taste and aroma. It is a gift of God. But we are cutting the same branch of tree on which we sitting. The per acre wheat yield was among the best in South Asia. Now on very piece of farmland near Sialkot airport, there is a board of some housing society.

It is a need to build airport for progress and it can not be built on high-rise yet. However the need of people for housing could be met by high-rise flats and apartments like Karachi. There should be new cities, which can be raised but it is not as easy to find alternate for farmland or there is one? World is saving its agriculture land and we are bombarding it with housing societies. Just look at Japan that built skyscraper to save rice growing farmland. One of the most difficult things bureaucratically in the west is to construct on agriculture land even a toilet.

Against my point, it could be argued that there is vast land lying uncultivated in Pakistan. This logic doesn't give license to destroy strategic assets of the country.

If there be a pressure group, organization or if we individually or collectively pressurize the government to stop issuing NOC's for housing societies on most fertile land on earth and create awareness among the people about the importance of safeguarding the vital asset of our country, the agriculture land, from destruction in the name of development, it will be service to you, to us, to our future generations and to this country. Please act before housing societies become housing suicide!

Thanks for your time and consideration.