‘350,000 trees to be planted in Faisalabad’

Spring Festival in Faisalabad to open on March 19.

FAISALABAD: DCO Noorul Amin Mengal said on Saturday 350,000 saplings would be planted in and around schools in spring.

He said school administrations had been directed to constitute green teams to achieve the target. He was presiding over a meeting of the District Education Review Committee. District Monitoring Officer Tariq Niazi presented reports on schools’ monitoring.

Education EDO Bashir Zahid Goraya, Finance EDO Mahr Ramzan, Buildings Department District Officer Tahir Saeed and several other officials of the Education Department attended the meeting.

Mengal directed the education EDO to plan a calendar for sports events for each school.

He said students should be given opportunities to participate in outdoor sports.

He said sports competitions between public and private schools should be encouraged.

The DCO also issued show cause notices to the heads of schools who had failed to provide safe drinking water for students.

He said salary increments of teachers who remained absent from duty should be stopped.

He directed the education officer to monitor attendance of teachers and non-teaching staff at schools. The DCO was informed that as many as 229 uplift schemes were being implemented at a cost of Rs541.428 million. He was told that construction of additional class rooms and boundary walls was underway. He was told that 45 per cent work had been completed.

Later, Mengal presided over a meeting of the Parks and Horticulture Authority.

He said the annual spring festival and flower competitions would open at Bagh-i-Jinnah on March 19.

He said flower show competitions would be held in four categories in which universities, colleges, agriculture research institutions, hotels, clubs, banks, industrial units, schools and private nurseries would participate.

He said cash prizes, trophies and certificates would be given to winners. He directed the PHA officials to finalise arrangements for the spring festival and to ensure greenery in the city.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st, 2015.