PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Tuesday launched the Clean and Green Pakistan drive in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and warned that his government would launch a crackdown on traders using plastic shopping bags as these had played havoc with the beauty of the province by not only littering but also by endangering biodiversity of the province.

The chief minister also appealed to citizens and traders’ community to cooperate with the government and start utilising biodegradable bags, already available in the market, in order to contribute to beautification of the province.

He expressed these views after launching the Clean and Green Pakistan drive organised by Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar (WSSP) and Peshawar Zalmi Foundation here, according to a statement.

Mahmood Khan warns traders against dealing in unsafe plastic bags

The WSSP in collaboration with Zalmi Foundation also launched the Youth Ambassador programme aimed at encouraging youth of the province to keep their homes and streets clean. Interested people can become members of the programme by filling out a registration form available on WSSP website.

While addressing the participants, the chief minister lauded the efforts undertaken by the WSSP for implementing the Clean and Green Pakistan initiative.

In Lower Dir, the district administration, the district government and tehsil municipalities in collaboration with the forest department launched the Clean and Green Pakistan initiative.

Deputy commissioner Shaukat Ali Yousafzai and district nazim Mohammad Rasool Khan inaugurated the plantation drive during a function at Timergara Rest House.

Teachers, students, Levies personnel, civil defence volunteers and social activists participated in plantation drive. Students were asked to plant at least one tree during the drive.

On the occasion, the deputy commissioner said the tree plantation drive would be extended to all parts of the district.

He said the local administration and the forest department had planned to plant 1.5 million saplings this year.

The district nazim assured all the stakeholders of his full support and assistance to make the drive a success.

Later, the participants held an awareness walk in the city, carrying banners and placards with slogans in favour of plantation drive.

In Shangla, awareness walks were held in Alpuri and Bisham under the banner of Clean and Green Pakistan drive on Tuesday. Saplings were also planted on the occasion.

Participants of the walk marched through the Alpuri Bazaar.

The deputy commissioner, divisional forest officer and others planted saplings on the Shangla campus of the University of Swat.

In Bisham, a walk was also held where the participants carried banners inscribed with the significance of clean and green environment.

On the occasion, assistant commissioner, Bisham, Wajid Ali, said people should keep their surroundings neat and clean for friendly environment. He urged the traders that besides keeping fronts of their shops clean, they should also plant saplings wherever it was possible.

In Kohat, launching the Clean and Green Pakistan campaign deputy commissioner Matiullah Shah urged the officials to follow ‘good governance strategy’ of the government.

He said the district administration had set an initial target of planting 10,000 saplings which would be expanded across the district at later stages.

He emphasised that plants protected humans from climatic change, floods, natural disasters, kept the atmosphere clean and healthy. He stressed that it was duty of every individual to look after the planted saplings so that they could grow into trees.

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2019