Forest dept offers 100 acres of land to PHA for trees

Lahore High Court’s Justice Shahid Karim directed the forest department and Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in response the offer made by the forest department to give 100-acre land to PHA in Changa-Manga for planting trees.

Justice Karim was hearing different petitions about how smog could be controlled; society could be made polluted free and ground-water could be protected from wastage.

Justice Karim admired the efforts made by the forest department and the environmental department as well over developing new laws on smog. However, the environmental department submitted the new laws before the court.

The court had also directed to ensure compliance of the court’s direction for getting planted trees into the schools and colleges.

Earlier the court had also directed to seal those factories causing pollution in first phase and then demolish them in second phase if the violation is still established on their part.

Earlier orders

The court earlier had imposed a ban over cutting trees in Lahore city and educational institutions observing legislation should be made declaring the tree cutting a serious nature offence. The court also restrained the environment department from issuing NOCs for any project caused the loss of trees. It is pertinent to mention that the court had also fixed new fine Rs200,000 increasing it from already fixed fine of Rs50,000 against those who found involved in stubble burning cases across the province.

The registration of FIRs is not the only solution of stopping stubble burning, Justice Karim then had observed.

The LHC had also directed the Punjab government to impose a smog emergency and call a meeting to take appropriate precautionary measures to control the smog before entering into the worst condition.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 10^th, 2023.