ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court directed all the provinces and the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) to submit reports about plantation of trees in riverine and canal banks.

A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, heard suo moto regarding the plantation of trees on both sides of roads, railway lines, and motorways.

Secretaries Irrigation and Forests of all the provinces and the ICT have been ordered to appear before the court on the next date.

The CJ observed that the provinces and the ICT had not complied with the court’s earlier order, while the Federation and the Sindh government had not filed reports about the status of Nai Gaj Dam.

Additional Advocate General Qasim Chohan informed that 0.2 million trees had been planted in the province.

The chief justice said it all seemed to be on the papers as no data had been provided where the trees were planted.

He said all the trees in Murree and Nathiagali had been cut, and that had destroyed its tourism attraction.

The chief justice noted that due to cutting of trees, the weather was changing and the glaciers were melting. He said the trees protected the canal land.

Justice Faisal Arab noted that in Sindh’s riverine areas there were no trees on the State land.

Justice Ijaz said that the Sindh government had legislated to protect those whom the forest lands were allotted in the past.

He inquired from the AAG Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) what happened to one billion tree tsunami?

However, the AAG did not respond to it.

The court adjourned the hearing for four weeks.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020