January 24, 2006	Tuesday	Zilhaj 23, 1426

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ISLAMABAD, Jan 23: Speakers at a seminar criticized the Capital Development Authority (CDA) for destroying the natural beauty of the federal capital by chopping down trees.

They stated this at a seminar on “Development versus environmental concerns: removal of trees in Islamabad”, organized by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) here on Monday.

Representative of the ministry of environment, who was supposed to speak on the occasion could not turn up despite his confirmation.

The speakers asked the CDA to stop felling of trees and prioritise the development needs of the city.

The participants of the seminar demanded an efficient mass transit system to deal with the traffic related issues instead of relying solely on road expansion.

They expressed concern over the removal of trees in the city as that would eventually lead to deterioration of the environment and loss of biodiversity.

Prof Naeem Khan, while speaking on the occasion shared the details of the trees that have been cut in sector F-7/3 and Blue Area under the garb of beautification of the city and for the purpose of construction of a food park.

“On my personal observation more than 500 tress were cut down in these sectors. Old shisham trees were chopped down by the CDA officials,” he remarked.

The removal of trees has resulted in sewerage problems, which in turn pose threats to public health.

Wajahat Latif of Margalla Hill Society said that removal of trees for expansion of roads was a short-term solution, which would prove inadequate in the long run.

He emphasized the need for effective management to deal with traffic related problems. He opposed the construction of steel/concrete structure in public parks and demanded citizen’s participation in the decision-making processes.

Aurangzeb Awan of CDA clarified that the authority was removing trees not just for the expansion of roads and construction of buildings but also for getting rid of paper mulberry trees that cause allergy.

CDA has also planted over 23 million saplings and consulted civil society members before the removal of trees, he said.

He maintained that dualization of roads saved citizens travelling time as well as controls emission of pollutants from vehicles, the latter being an environmental concern as well.

However, no trees are being removed from designated green belts, he clarified.