ICCI, CDA launch plantation campaign from F-6 Markaz

Islamabad:Chairman CDA Noorul Amin Mengal along with President Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari and Director General (DG) of Environment Protection Agency Farzana Altaf Shah visited Islamabad’s posh commercial centre F-6 Markaz and launched a plantation drive from markets by planting a saplings in the Supermarket.

F-6 Markaz Traders Welfare Association President Shahzad Shabbir Abbasi, Secretary General Aqib Abbasi, Khalid Chaudhry, Saifur Rahman Khan, Akhtar Abbasi, Malik Shabbir Awan, Imtiaz Abbasi, and others were also present on the occasion, said a press release issued here on Sunday. Chairman CDA took a round of the market along with Chamber President Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari, DG of EPA Farzana Altaf Shah, and representatives of the Traders Association and reviewed the ongoing development works.

He issued instructions to the CDA officials to speed up the ongoing works and to advance other works as well. Talking on the occasion, he said, “The development work will be reviewed by visiting other markets soon.” He also announced on the occasion that the Zero Point Bridge would be handed over to ICCI for its decoration and beautification.

He directed the Director Environment, CDA to carry out the plantation drive in the markets in collaboration with ICCI while he himself would visit the markets.

Speaking on the occasion, President ICCI Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari said that the chamber had earlier planted thousands of saplings in Islamabad in collaboration with CDA and this year too, ICCI in cooperation with CDA and concerned market associations, would carry out the plantation drive in the markets to make Islamabad greener and promote a healthy environment. He said, “Along with planting new trees, a strategy should be made for proper maintenance of old trees so that they can be kept safe.”

He said that to determine the age of old trees in Islamabad, tags should be placed on them and special arrangements should be made for their proper maintenance so that they can be preserved for a long time. He said that only 10-15 percent of the saplings survive while the rest are lost, so special attention should be paid to the care of the saplings. He urged the representatives of the market associations to fully cooperate fully with CDA in the plantation drive to make Islamabad more beautiful.

Farzana Altaf Shah, Director General EPA, said, “There is a need to plant more trees to protect the cities from the harmful effects of climate change and it is commendable that the ICCI in promoting the tree plantation drive in the markets in collaboration with CDA and trade associations, which will make the environment of Islamabad healthier. “The President Supermarket Association Shahzad Shabbir Abbasi assured of full cooperation to make the plantation drive successful. “There is a need to replace the old sewage lines in the markets as the old lines are no longer able to bear the load due to the increase in population and often get blocked,” he stressed.