June 30, 2007	Saturday	Jamadi-us-Sani 14, 1428

GILGIT, June 29: Following the depletion of forests in Northern Areas, the government has decided to provide liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at subsidised rates as alternative fuel to the people of the area so that growing pressure on the regional forests could be reduced, said a senior forest official on Friday.

Talking to Dawn, the official said that the regional forest department had devised plans and projects to check the deforestation in the region and approved LPG projects that would cost Rs190 million.

The project, he said, would be completed in two phases and would benefit some 27,000 households once LPG was provided on subsidised rates.