Save century-old banyan tree: commissioner

Tree obstructing work on Pindi Ring Road project

RAWALPINDI:

An over a century old banyan tree has to be saved, even at the cost of diverting the route of Rawalpindi Ring Road project.

Rawalpindi Commissioner Muhammad Mahmood on Monday directed the consultant Nespak to conduct a survey of the interchange to save a more than a century old banyan tree coming in way of Radio Pakistan Interchange of Rawalpindi Ring Road Track.

Chairing a project review meeting, the commissioner said an engineering solution should be found to save this dense ancient tree.

Acquire more land, realign the road, if necessary, but do not cut down this tree, he insisted.

Commissioner Mahmood said that approval of Ring Road project has already been obtained from the Environment Department which has also directed to plant 300,000 new trees on the project.

He said that more than 5,000 trees would be cut down in this project and every effort has been made in its design to save the natural forests.

He said that according to a survey conducted by the Environment Department, after the completion of the Ring Road project, pollution in Rawalpindi and Islamabad would also be significantly reduced.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 12^th, 2021.