Under the directives of the government of Punjab, the forest department has evolved a two year plantation plan, aimed at planting maximum trees on both sides of Sialkot-Daska-Gujranwala dual carriageway.
Official sources in the divisional forest office revealed Sunday that under the plan, some 10 times more plants, than the existing ones, would be planted on both sides of the Sialkot-Daska-Gujranwala double carriageway, for beautifying and improving the environment.
Moreover, they said, as many as 9866 trees would be hacked from the construction area of the proposed project, as the cutting of dried and green trees, was inevitable. This decision, they informed, has been taken after conducting a detailed survey and series of inspections by the Forest department teams of the project site. After the cutting, the department would auction these trees in open market and.
In order to avert the chances of illegal cutting and theft of trees, the department has maintained a complete record and data of the trees in the Sialkot forest division. As many as 10.83 lakh plants and saplings are available in eight different forest nurseries in Sialkot and Narowal districts, they added.
They said that the forest department was making 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. They also encouraged the business community, engaged with sports goods, to come forward and play their instrumental role in developing forest for catering the needs of the industry.