ISLAMABAD/RAWALPINDI: Mayor Sheikh Anser Aziz planted a sapling adjacent to Shakarparian Parade Ground in connection with the federal government’s ‘Plant for Pakistan’ campaign launched on Sunday.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Aziz said under the programme, the Metropolitian Corporation of Islamabad (MCI) would carry out a massive drive all over the city and directions in this regard had been issued to the environment wing.

The MCI had made arrangements to plant saplings on the occasion.

District admin of Rawalpindi and Parks and Horticulture Authority plants 5,000 saplings on greenbelt of Koral Chowk

The mayor said the day’s target of planting 15,000 saplings had been met. He said under the monsoon plantation drive 600,000 plants were also being planted. Half of the target of the monsoon drive has been completed, the mayor said.

He directed the environment wing to make effective arrangements for ensuring proper growth of the planted saplings.

He said the MCI was ensuring that saplings being planted should be four to six feet tall as survival rate of small plants was low.

He said tall plants can survive the hard climate and can grow at a fast pace.

The district administration of Rawalpindi and the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) planted 5,000 saplings in five minutes on the greenbelts of Koral Chowk.

A ceremony in connection with the ‘Plant for Pakistan’ drive was held at Koral roundabout on Islamabad Expressway where Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed was the chief guest.

Students and teachers of government schools were brought to the site to plant trees while non-governmental organisations also attended the ceremony.

Speaking on the occasion, the minister said saplings would be planted across the railway tracks to save the environment from pollution and make the country green.

“Pakistan Railways will give its land to the PHA to develop nurseries for the city and cantonment areas’ requirement of plants and flowers,” he said.

He said four nurseries each would be set up in all the seven divisions of Pakistan Railways and nurseries in Rawalpindi, Jhelum and Malikwal would be made functional shortly so that the railway tracks may be made green in a year.

Rawalpindi Commissioner Saif Anjum said efforts would be made to plant 5,000 trees in five minutes as the ceremony was being attended by 4,000 people.

PHA Director General Saif Anwar Jappa said: “The PHA will plant more than 2,000 plants around Adiala jail within a few days. The survey of the area has been completed and work would be started in a day or two.”

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2018