ISLAMABAD: The scientists are planning to protest against the Capital Development Authority’s (CDA) alleged plan to build a mega commercial cum residential scheme after bulldozing 1400 acres of research farms of the National Agriculture Research Centre (NARC).
While talking to media Pakistan Academy of Sciences President Dr Anwar Nasim revealed that the CDA had forwarded a summary to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif last week, seeking permission to build farms into a commercial and residential scheme, demolishing the state of the art research laboratories, sophisticated research equipments, glass houses, fish ponds, animal sheds, machinery sheds, office buildings, and other precious research infrastructure established at a staggering cost of trillions of rupees
Dr Anwar said that in case this proposal is seen through, CDA will deprive the country of coordination in agricultural research. NARC has played a key role in the national food security. The institute’s scientists have developed 100 wheat varieties and pre-empted countless rust epidemic since 1978. In doing so, NARC has saved the nation around Rs 2000 billion since 1980. Similarly, the National Reference Lab of Poultry Diseases has saved Rs 90 billion of poultry industry since 2006 by making Pakistan the only bird flu free country amongst the SAARC states.
