There has been a breakthrough between the district administration and the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) on the issue of payment of one per cent environmental fee against development schemes to be carried out across Punjab including in the Rawalpindi district.
The Rawalpindi district administration will pay one per cent of the estimated cost of all development schemes in the district to the PHA.
This amount will be spent on the development of Rawalpindi city.
In the first phase, the district government will provide Rs.25 to 30 crore to PHA as an environmental fee. This amount will be spent on the beautification of 55 parks in the Rawalpindi district and launching new projects to improve the city's environment.
The Punjab government had issued a notification last year obligating the district administration to pay one per cent of the expenditure of all development schemes to PHA to improve the beauty and environment of the city. However, after the issuance of this notification, the has not been paid to the PHA.
District administration sources confirmed that the PHA had claimed payment of environmental funds in this regard, which will be released by the end of January this year. PHA Chairman Asif Mehmood said that PHA the fund will be utilised to upgrade parks in Rawalpindi to enhance the beauty of the city and plantation of new fruit trees.
He said that “we are planting many green trees in Rawalpindi and its benefits will be witnessed by the citizens of Rawalpindi in next two to three years. With the improved environment in the twin cities, it will snow again in the next five years, he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 10, 2022.
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