LAHORE, June 21: The Environment Protection Department has updated its sub-rules required for issuing no-objection-certificates (NoC) for the new industrial units. The updates rules aim at making industries responsive to their surrounding communities.

Under the new provisions, the management of new industrial units shall carry out extensive tree plantation in a 25-kilometre radius of the project area in six months, according to Environment Impact Assessment Deputy Director Nasimur Rehman

District officers of environment and forest departments shall be consulted for the plantation and monitoring of the drive.

The management will also allocate special funds to raise 25 acres plantation in the area each and raise its own nurseries.

Mr Rehman said new sub-rules would help enhance vegetation cover in and around the project site and thus further lessening the damages likely to be caused to the environment due to the project.

He says under another provision, the proponent of a project will submit to the department a community development plan for the people living around the project within two months of the start of the construction phase.

The plan includes the development of a community park, a school and a dispensary, he said.

Sub-rules also bind the owner to hire locals for all unskilled and to the extent possible skilled jobs at his or her unit after providing them necessary training.

SCHOOL PLANTATION: A meeting of the Environment Department held here on Tuesday with minister Dr Anjum Amjad in the chair decided to make it mandatory for all public and private schools to plant 10 saplings of local varieties of trees every year (subject to availability of space).

A notification to this effect will be issued within a couple of days, says a source.