RAWALPINDI: A week-long cleanliness and tree plantation drive will begin in the district today (Monday) during which more than 300,000 trees will be planted across the city.

The inauguration ceremony will be held at the Fatima Jinnah Women University and people from all walks of life will be taking part in the campaign.

Deputy Commissioner Chaudhry Ali Randhawa on Sunday reviewed the arrangements.

He asked the civic bodies and local union council chairmen to play their role to raise awareness among people about the drive in rural and urban areas.

He said the government wanted to provide a clean atmosphere to the public so they would remain healthy. He said the basic purpose of the tree plantation campaign was to mitigate environmental pollution.

Lectures will be delivered to school and college students regarding cleanliness and they will also be made part of the drive.

The meeting was told that teams from the civic bodies and the Rawalpindi Waste Management Company will visit homes and shops to persuade residents to put their garbage in bins instead of throwing it in streets and nullahs.

The streets of Rawalpindi city will be cleaned and use of plastic bags stopped.

Meanwhile, the Parks and Horticulture Authority, Rawalpindi has decided to renovate and beautify the main highways of the city with the coordination of government and private institutions.

A memorandum of understanding is being signed between the National Highway Authority and other departments in this regard.

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2019