M RAFIQUE GORAYA

LAHORE: Punjab government has allocated Rs. 3 billion in the Annual Development Programme 2018-19 for plantation of 9 million saplings in the province and approved several other development projects of the Forest Department to make “Green Pakistan” drive a success.

Stating this Chairman Planning & Development Habibur Rehman Gilani said that under the Public Private Partnership Program, Private Sector would be involved to boost up the plantation campaign. Government will also cover the black areas of the cities during the said drive. The Green Pakistan is the top priority of the Federal Government. Maximum tree plantation is a national requirement to control flood erosion, air pollution and make the environment human friendly, Chairman added. He pointed out that ornamental and fancy trees do not fulfill need of plantation as the only shady and huge trees can provide sufficient oxygen to over-come air pollution.

Punjab Planning & Development Department in collaboration with Forest Department organized a launching of tree plantation drive under the Pakistan Plantation Campaign by planting a sapling of Gulmohar in the lawn of P&D Complex, Lahore here on Monday Members of P&D Board Dr. Abid Bodla, Agha Waqar Javed, Sadaqat Hussain, Khalid Sultan, Additional Secretary P&D Dr. Shahid Adil, Chief Agriculture Dr. Muhammad Ashraf, Managing Director Investment Climate Reforms Unit Maleeha Bangish, Chief Conservator Forest Department Abdul Basit, Tariq Nasim Deputy Secretary (Planning) Forest, Muhammad Saleem District Forest Officer Lahore, Muhammad Sharif Publicity Incharge Forest Department & other officials of P&D and Forest Departments & representatives of Media also attended the launching ceremony.

It is worth mentioning that Province of the Punjab with an area of 20.63 million hectares (mha) and meager forestry resources over only 0.771 mha in the public sector is forest deficient province. According to statistics, more than 100 million human and 70 million livestock population had to be fed from these meager resources. The major part of the area (60%) is under cultivation for agriculture with the help of about 37,000 km of canal network.