ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Friday decided to form a committee of experts under whose supervision hazardous paper mulberry trees in F-9 Fatima Jinnah Park would be removed.

After withdrawing its orders of stopping the civic agency from tree cutting in the park, a three-member Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa on Wednesday had directed the CDA to remove more trees in line with the guidelines provided by forest experts, whose assistance was sought at the previous hearing.

The CDA staff was directed by the apex court to strictly follow directions of experts in removing the paper mulberry trees.

Pollen allergy affects a large number of people in Islamabad, particularly during the spring season, when the concentration of pollen in the air remains high.

CDA chief directs officials to take consent from experts before notifying committee

Pollen is a fine powder produced by trees, grasses and weeds, and is an essential part of the reproductive process of these plants. However, when pollen is inhaled by an individual who is allergic to it, it can trigger a range of symptoms, including sneezing, itching, runny nose, nasal congestion and watery eyes.

Islamabad has thousands of paper mulberry trees and there was never ever serious attempt made to remove them. In the past, following directions from standing committees and lawmakers, the civic agency announced to launch an operation, but could not translate it into reality.

However, recently the CDA had started removing paper mulberry trees from F-9 Park, but the Supreme Court stopped it. During the last hearing of a case, the court withdrew its order in the light of consensus on the removal of hazardous paper mulberry trees from the park. The apex court, however, directed the CDA to strictly follow directions of experts in removing the paper mulberry trees.

Following this, CDA Chairman Anwarul Haq on Friday presided over a meeting which was attended by Director General Environment Qaiser Khan Khattak and others.

Sources said during the meeting names of various experts were discussed. It was decided that the committee should be notified after getting consent of the experts. The committee would be provided office and supporting staff.

Sources said the meeting considered the names of Inspector General of Forest, Ministry of Climate Change, Saqib Mahmood, retired inspector general forest Dr Mehmood Nasir, Chief Conservator Rawalpindi Iftikhar Farooqi, environmentalist Ghulam Raza Bhatti, DFO Timber Extraction Division Rawalpindi Junaid Mumtaz, DFO Rawalpindi south Amir Sohail, DFO Rawalpindi north Imtiaz Siddiqui and DFO Murree Sheikh Raza Anwar.

It was decided that CDA Deputy Director General Environment Irfan Niazi, Director Environment Asif Majeed and Deputy Director Bilal Khilji will also be part of the committee to assist the experts.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2024