Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme: Audit report reveals 13 irregularities

ISLAMABAD: A special audit report on the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme (Phase-1) in Punjab has unearthed 13 irregularities, including wastage of public resources, delay in project revision, damages to 1,219 acres by flood and unlawful expenditure on the forestry operations, causing billions of rupees loss to the national exchequer.

The Auditor General of Pakistan has conducted a special audit report on the accounts of “The Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme (Phase-1)” and its summary reveals that the audit scrutiny encompassed a detailed review of compliance with the relevant rules and regulations on the part of the management. The gestation period of the programme (phase-1) was four years. However, a special audit was conducted for the first three years after its initiation to gauge the milestones. The programme completed its first three years without achieving the desired targets and benchmarks.

The project was launched with the prime objective of increasing the tree cover through an up-scaling programme by planting forests. The audit report states that the Programme “Revival of Wildlife Resources in Punjab, Green Pakistan Program (1ST Revised)” was approved by the Punjab Development Working Party (PDWP) and Central Development Working Party (CDWP) in their meetings held on 7-1-2019 and 4-7-2019 respectively.

This project was approved by the Central Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) at a total cost of Rs5.89 billion with a gestation period of 84 months from 2016-17 to 2022-23. The programme was executed by the Punjab Wildlife Department through Director General Wildlife. The total area of riverine patches is 13,997 hectares as per project document which consists of 26 forests spreading over an area of 4,255 square kilometers in three districts. The other site is a scrub forest with a total area of 7,859 hectares consisting of Ara, Dilijabba and Parerah forests in Chakwal.