PDA, Railways involved in bitter disputeafter latter destroys greenbelt in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) and the Pakistan Railways have got involved in a bitter dispute after the latter sent its employees to destroy a greenbelt developed by the former in the University Town locality.

Zafar Ali Shah, the acting director general, PDA, told The News that a letter was sent to the University Town Police Station to register the First Information Report (FIR) against the Railways officials for destroying the greenbelt built with public money. He said the top government officials in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been informed about the incident and serious notice has been taken as the Railways authorities could have contacted the PDA to discuss and resolve the issue instead of carrying out the sudden demolition operation. The Railways authorities on Monday levelled the greenbelt and removed the structures built by the PDA on land owned by the Pakistan Railways in the University Town right up to the emergency gate of the Khyber Teaching Hospital. Though an unnamed PDA official had said on Monday that the civic body had spent Rs21 million on the now destroyed greenbelt, the PDA’s acting director general Zafar Ali Shah pointed out that the project to develop the greenbelt from Karkhano Market to Peshawar Cantonment was worth Rs38 million. He added it was part of the beautification plan carried out on the demand of residents who wanted better use of the vacant Railways land littered with waste.

Other PDA officials said the issue had been taken up with senior Railways officials for use of the land for the greenbelt though a formal no-objection certificate (NOC) had not been obtained from the Pakistan Railways yet. A citizen said the tussle between the two government departments, one federal and the other provincial, showed the lack of coordination between them. A doctor, who takes keen interest in issues of public interest, wondered how the PDA can start making a park on Railways property. “It is a criminal waste of public funds. The director general PDA needs some explaining to do,” he added.