HYDERABAD, Feb 24: A committee has been constituted to assess the value of agricultural land under the utilisation of oil companies for revising lease rates according to prevalent rates. It would be headed by the EDO Revenue with revenue officials as members.

The committee was formed after the decision of Oil and Gas Field Land Owners Association office-bearers, oil companies’ officials and the DCO Hyderabad Aftab Ahmed Khatri in a meeting at the latter’s office on Tuesday.

Owners of land provided to oil companies are demanding revision in rates as these were fixed five years back, said the DCO while companies contend that they were paying the highest rates at Rs35,000 per acre.

Though the ministry of petroleum had formed a committee with the DCO Hyderabad as its chairman and district nazim as secretary for mandatory utilisation of funds charged from oil companies but so far, no amount could be received.

The DCO recommended to concerned authority to release welfare fund for the uplift of area and its people.

He also asked the ministry to help provide jobs to area people and restore heirs’ quota of deceased employees.

He also advised the Land Owners Association to consider the plan of establishing 50-bed hospital at Deh Pasaeki, Taluka Hyderabad Rural or bifurcate it into small health units in catchments areas or utilise the money for the resolution of pressing problems.

UC Nazim Sanwan Khan Chang Haji Badar Memon, Mr Imdad Ali Kalari, Mr Habibullah Nahyon, Muhammad Aslam Pathan from the OGDC and other officers from oil fields and district government attended the meeting.

REHABILITATION: The rehabilitation issue of shopkeepers/stall owners displaced from Rani Bagh due to development works was resolved at a meeting presided over by the DCO at his office here on Tuesday.

The DCO said that the renovation of Rani Bagh was necessary while approval had been taken from the competent authority for the establishment of 36 shops with uniform design.

He directed the TMO Qasimabad to earmark the reserved areas and allot each plot measuring 10x15 feet to all the affected shopkeepers within a week where beneficiaries should construct shops according to approved uniform design.

He advised the affected shopkeepers not to waste their time in running from one place to the other but to remain in contact with the TMA Qasimabad for redressal of their problems.

He said that the district government was doing its best to provide maximum opportunities of income and employment to workers and had made investments in this regard.