SWABI, Sept 21: A local NGO and the United Nations Development Fund have entered a plantation partnership project to be completed at a cost of Rs6.8 million in three years.

Sources said in the Shewa Educated Social Workers Association (Seswa), the NGO, and the forest department told Dawn on Tuesday that nine countries had been selected to execute the Promote Tropical Forest project.

The selected countries are: Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, India, Vietnam and the Philippines. Under the project to be executed in the NWFP, plantation would be carried out in Tegari and the Nogram regions. The project would be completed by September 2006.

Sources said Seswa had appealed to the forest department to extend support to the project and urged the community to help convert barren areas into lush green pieces of land.

The sources said that local people would be employed in the project and added that they would be educated on conservation and protection of plants. The objective of the project, the sources said, was to provide a pollution-free environment to people, rehabilitate forests, engage society in constructive activities and educate people about the vitality of forests.

The forest department, the sources said, had offered to provide services of its staff for the execution of the project and promised to recognize the joint forest committee in accordance with the Forest Management Ordinance 2002.