KHAR: The forest department on Saturday began a scheme to promote community forestry in Bajaur tribal district by giving away 500,000 saplings to the residents free of charge.

The scheme was jointly launched by Jamaat-i-Islami MPA Sirajuddin Khan and deputy commissioner Usman Mehsud during a ceremony organised by the forest department at a nursery here in Nawai Kalli area.

Tribal elders, growers and officials of the district administration and forest department attended the event held.

The deputy commissioner said both federal and provincial governments were making all-out efforts to promote forestry in Bajaur district considering it to be vital for the people’s socioeconomic development.

He said the initiative would encourage community forestry in the region and thus, helping increase forest cover and protecting environment.

Residents to get 500,000 saplings free of charge

Mr Mehsud asked growers to grow more and more plants on their lands.

MPA Sirajuddin Khan said forests were a major source of livelihood for the residents of tribal districts in general and Bajaur in particular but they had never thought about growing forests.

He praised the forest department for distributing saplings to the residents free of charge and said the initiative would promote community forestry in the region.

Earlier, divisional forest officer Hayat Ali said the scheme was part of the federal government-sponsored ‘10 Billion Tree Tsunami afforestation project.

He said under the scheme, one million saplings would be planted across the district during the current plantation season.

Mr Ali said around 500,000 plants would be given away to the residents, while the forest department would plant the same number of saplings.

He said the community forestry would increase forest cover and improve the residents’ socioeconomic conditions and protect their lands from natural disasters.

The forest officer later told reporters that besides conventional trees, the department had also arranged some new suitable varieties of plants for the current plantation season.

He said the department had fixed the target of one million plants for the current drive but the number could be increased.

SHOPS BURGLED: Twenty-five shops were burgled in Soor Bat and Hayati areas of Utmankhel tehsil here, said police on Saturday.

The police said the burglars entered shops by smashing locks.

They said they had begun investigation though the shopkeepers didn’t contact them for the registration of a case.

Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2020