Under the directives of Punjab Government Forest Department has evolved a comprehensive plan for planting maximum plants on both sides of Sialkot-Daska-Gujranwala dual carriageway project, disclosed Divisional Forest Officer Sialkot Forest Division. The forest department under the plan would plant 10 times more plants on both sides of the dual carriageway for beautification and to improve the environmental condition on Sialkot-Daska-Gujranwala double carriageway, he said.
Talking to Business Recorder here on Saturday the Divisional Forest Officer Muhammad Saeed Tabassam revealed that as many as 9,866 trees would be hacked from the construction area of the proposed project adding that cutting of dried and green trees was inevitable and this decision has been taken after conducting a detailed survey and series of inspections by the Forest Department teams of the project site.
He said that forest department would auction these trees in open market adding that in order to avert the chances of illegal cutting and theft of trees the department had maintained complete record and data of the trees in Sialkot forest division. The Divisional Forest Officer disclosed that 10.83 lakh plants and saplings were available in eight different forest nurseries in Sialkot and Narowal districts.
The forest department was making its all out efforts for motivating the private sector especially the farmer community of both the districts that they should bring their barren land under tree plantation and enhance their income, he said. Saeed Tabassam was of the opinion that business community engaged with sports goods industry should come forward and play its instrumental role in developing forest for catering the needs of the industry.
The forest officer strongly contradicted the news of cutting of 100,000 trees for widening of Sialkot-Daska-Gujranwala road published in a section of press and termed it totally baseless and lack of information and reiterated that only 9,866 tree would be cut for undertaking the project.