KARACHI: Commissioner of Karachi Muhammad Iqbal Memon has said that collective efforts are required by all the relevant stakeholders to make Karachi a clean, green, and beautiful city.

Speaking at the launching of the urban forest project at Naya Nazimabad in collaboration with the National Forum for Environment and Health (NFEH), he said that non-governmental organisations, community-based organisations, and corporate entities had an important role to play in promoting greenery in Karachi.

He welcomed the launching of an urban forest at Naya Nazimabad while stating that residential societies and urban communities should reserve ample space for tree plantation.

CEO of the Naya Nazimabad project, Abdul Samad Habib, said that a new urban forest was being developed on 10,000 Sq. Yard of area.

He said that over 1,000 fruit and shade trees and flowering plants would be planted in the urban forest.

He said that over 40 percent area of the Naya Nazimabad project had been reserved for parks, greenbelts, and tree plantations.

NFEH President, Muhammad Naeem Qureshi, said that this is the fourth time in the past five years that tree plantation activity was taking place at Naya Nazimabad.

He said that all the housing societies were lawfully bound to reserve a minimum of 10 percent of their area for tree plantation.

He said the city's civic authorities should immediately come into action to prevent brazen tree cutting at several green spots in the city.

He said the unscrupulous elements involved in tree cutting should be penalised by slapping heavy fines.

He greeted Naya Nazimabad's management for launching the urban forest project.

Karachi's Commissioner along with NFEH President, Naya Nazimabad CEO, and other prominent guests planted a tree to formally launch the urban forest project.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022