UAF allocated 749 acres of state land for research centre

TOBA TEK SINGH: The district administration has allocated 749 acres of state land at Chak 405/JB to the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) for establishing the state-of-the-art citrus research centre.

The land was allotted to the late Noor Ahmad and others in 1956 under the ‘Grow More Food’ scheme introduced by the then government. For over 60 years, the land grabbers used several illegal tactics to keep possession of the land. However, on the suggestion of UAF VC Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan and locals, a request was made by the Toba DC to the Punjab Board of Revenue to allot this piece of land for Asia’s first citrus research centre.

At a meeting on Friday, chaired by Additional Deputy Commissioner Zeeshan Maseeh Labha, and attended by Director Citrus Research Centre UAF Azeem Iqbal and Dr Ziaur Rehman, approval was granted for allocation of land. The meeting also directed the UAF officials to get possession of the land by Saturday (today).

ELECTROCUTED TO DEATH: A filling station employee was electrocuted at Bhallay Wala Chowk, Kamalia. Muhammad Shafiq, 45, was filling petrol when his hand touched a live electricity wire. As a result, he received shock and died on the spot.