CHAKWAL: A proposed training academy of the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (PERA) near Kallar Kahar has sparked concern among local residents, farmers and wildlife conservationists, as the site selected for the project comprises around 200 acres of fertile agricultural land, several homes, livestock farms and wildlife breeding facilities. The Punjab government has allocated Rs6.786 billion for the construction of the PERA training academy near Kallar Kahar, while Rs10 million has reportedly been released for the current financial year. The proposed site, located along the Kallar Kahar-Talagang Road, was selected despite the availability of alternative locations, raising questions about the decision to choose an area that is not only inhabited but also serves as an important habitat for wildlife. The move has also left local PML-N MNA Sardar Ghulam Abbas and officials of the Punjab Wildlife Department apparently unable to prevent the proposed construction at the selected site. For 91-year-old Dost Muhammad, who has spent his life overcoming hardships, the latest development has become a source of deep anxiety. His family of around 40 members, along with their livestock, now faces the prospect of eviction from their ancestral land following a recent demarcation carried out for the proposed academy. A few days ago, Dost Muhammad and his sons were constructing a cattle shed on their land. However, they have now abandoned the work after officials from the Punjab Revenue Department marked the boundaries of the proposed site. According to a letter available with Minute Mirror, PERA had requested the deputy commissioner of Chakwal on June 9 to initiate the process of acquiring land at a “suitable location in the pleasant hilly area of Kallar Kahar” for the construction of its training academy. Following the request of the PERA director general, the district administration identified 1,568 kanals, or approximately 200 acres, along the Kallar Kahar-Talagang Road. Residents say the demarcation was carried out without adequately considering that the land is fertile agricultural property and is home to around 20 families. The area also serves as an important habitat for wildlife and contains two wildlife breeding farms and a private game reserve. Dost Muhammad is not the only resident facing uncertainty. At least 19 other families living in the area are also reportedly at risk of losing their homes. The demarcation has also raised concerns among wildlife conservationists, as two breeding farms for urial, chinkara and partridge have reportedly fallen within the proposed project area. “We are six brothers. We purchased 24 kanals of land in 2018 and constructed our houses after obtaining a loan of Rs3 million under a scheme launched by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif. Now our houses are facing demolition,” said Raja Mohammad Farooq, who recently completed construction of his house. The issue is particularly serious for farmers in the hilly Kallar Kahar tehsil, where cultivable land is already limited. “I own only four acres of land, from which I produce wheat for my family and fodder for my livestock throughout the year. My entire four acres have been included in the demarcated area. If the proposed academy is built on my land, where will I get wheat for my family and fodder for my livestock?” asked 62-year-old Ghulam Shabbir, a resident of Ratta village. Imtiaz Ahmed, who operates a cement-block plant and also keeps a flock of sheep, is similarly worried about his livelihood. “I sold four rams this year, but now my farm and plant are at risk of demolition,” he said anxiously. Malik Mukhtar Haider, who has been running a community-based conservation (CBC) initiative and two wildlife breeding farms for several years, said he had devoted his life to protecting wildlife and the natural environment. “I have spent my entire life working for the protection of wildlife and the natural environment, but the proposed construction of the PERA training academy has put my decades-long efforts at risk,” he said. Officials of the Punjab Wildlife Department have also expressed surprise over the selection of the site, questioning how an area serving as a wildlife refuge could have been chosen for the construction of a training academy. “The demarcated area is not only an important habitat for various wildlife species, including the rare Punjab urial, but also contains two breeding farms and flora and fauna that have been nurtured through more than two decades of sustained efforts,” Assistant Chief Wildlife Ranger Abid Hussain told Dawn. He questioned the rationale behind selecting the area and said the development appeared to undermine the conservation efforts being carried out by Malik Mukhtar Haider through his CBC initiative and breeding farms. “If government institutions themselves are bent on destroying wildlife habitats, then who will protect them?” he asked. Meanwhile, the district administration and local parliamentarians appear to have been unable to halt the proposed construction at the selected site. When contacted, Deputy Commissioner Chakwal Sara Hayat said the district administration had proposed three possible locations, but PERA had selected the present site. “We have to comply with the directions issued by the higher authorities,” she said. The proposed project has thus triggered a debate over the selection of public land for government infrastructure, with residents questioning why fertile agricultural land, inhabited settlements and an established wildlife habitat were chosen despite the reported availability of alternative sites.
