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Tree plantation drive at Quaid’s mazaar

Around 100 different kinds of saplings were planted in the courtyard

Our Correspondent January 04, 2020

PHOTO: REUTERS

KARACHI: Students of the Institute of Business Administration's (IBA) Go Green Society launched a tree plantation drive at the Quaid's mazaar on Friday in collaboration with the Hamid Ismail Foundation. Around 100 different kinds of saplings were planted in the courtyard of Quaid-e-Azam House. Students from various schools, IBA Go Green Society General Manager Amir Shabbir, CEO of the foundation Hamid Ismail, Central District Chairperson Rehan Hashmi and Korangi District Municipal Corporation's (DMC) vice chairperson participated in the drive.

Speaking on the occasion, Ismail announced that the dispensaries of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and DMC hospitals will function under the Hamid Ismail Foundation from now on. Free of cost medicines and medical facilities would be provided to patients this way, he claimed.

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With regards to the tree plantation campaign, Ismail said that such drives are needed in order to secure a better and healthy environment for our future generations. It is time to serve our country and repay what it has given us, he said, adding that this drive is aimed towards transforming Karachi into a 'clean and green' city. Similar drives were launched in small parks and soon the foundation will launch a plantation drive for green belts in the city, along with the local administration.

According to Ismail, his foundation is working along with the provincial government on the installation of 95 water filtration plants. Clean drinking water would be made accessible for around 1.4 million citizens through these efforts, he said. The CEO claimed that he would engage the corporate sector to assist the federal and provincial governments in running Karachi. He requested the provincial government to give the foundation a chance to work with it.

Hashmi, meanwhile, appreciated the efforts by the Ismail Industries. However, he noted that several plantation drives are carried out but efforts to ensure watering of these plants are also needed.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2020.