Plan afoot to plant 1m trees in Rawalpindi

District administration urges citizens to contribute to plantation efforts

RAWALPINDI:

Authorities concerned have been directed to plant one million saplings under the Spring Plantation Drive 2024 across the Rawalpindi division.

According to a commissioner’s office spokesperson, the forest department, Parks and Horticulture Authority, education, environment departments and others would make efforts to achieve the target set for the ongoing plantation drive. He said a large number of saplings were planted at Soan Bridge, Gorakhpur, Chakri Road, Misa Kaswal, Gujar Khan and Kallar Syedan under the plantation drive.

The departments concerned had planted over 10,000 saplings on International Forest Day observed here on March 21. The saplings would also be planted in Rawalpindi and Chaklala Cantt Board areas under the Plant for Pakistan campaign, she said adding, that the commissioner had directed that all the organisations should work together to make the plantation drive a success.

The private sector should be included in the campaign and the banners should also be displayed to create awareness among the citizens about the plantation drive, the commissioner directed the officers concerned. Awareness seminars would be organised at schools, colleges and university levels, the spokesperson said and urged the citizens to grow plants in the open areas of their homes.

She that the commissioner had asked the citizens to take care of the saplings after planting under the Spring Plantation Drive 2024. According to a district administration spokesperson, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Rawalpindi, Hassan Waqar Cheema had also inaugurated Gorakhpur Nursery set up by Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) on nearly 1,000 kanals of land with objectives to promote plantation. The DC said that the world, especially Pakistan, has been facing challenges arising from environmental changes and these challenges could only be dealt with by spreading forests and planting trees.

Highlighting the importance and usefulness of the forests in the country, he said that forests are the guarantor of human survival on the planet and the government is continuing to take positive steps to deal with the challenges caused by global environmental changes.

Hassan Waqar Cheema also stated that Gorakhpur Nursery is the largest nursery in the region, which would play an important role in promoting plantation. All-out efforts would be made to achieve the target set for the ongoing plantation campaign in Rawalpindi district, said Hassan Waqar Cheema.

PHA Rawalpindi Director General Ahmed Hassan Ranjha said the Gorakhpur Nursery would prove to be very important in the ongoing initiatives regarding Green Pakistan from where large-scale plants would be provided. The plants would be supplied in the coming months and a variety of plants and grasses would be produced at Gorakhpur Nursery, he added.

According to a PHA spokesperson, the Punjab government had provided 1000 kanals of land in Gorakhpur to set up a grand nursery to promote plantation. PHA on the directives of Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz would make all-out efforts to make the spring plantation campaign a success, she said. PHA Rawalpindi had also launched a special plantation drive in the city and free saplings were being distributed to the public in this regard to ensure the success of the plantation drive in the public sector, she informed.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 1^st, 2024.