Sale, purchase of Conocarpus Erectus plants banned in city

Karachi

A threat to ecology and human health, the sale and purchase of Conocarpus Erectus plants was in the city, Commissioner Karachi Ejaz Ahmed Khan said on Thursday.

Speaking at a meeting held to finalise preparation for the ‘Green Karachi’ campaign, Khan said the decision would be intimated to all government departments and district administrations.

The plantation of the trees along major thoroughfares of the city during several previous campaigns was time and again decried by environmentalists, health experts and horticulturists.

The commissioner said that district administrations would be directed to strictly ensure that the ban was not violated. He called for ensuring plantation of only those plants which were conducive for the city’s environment.

The meeting also informed that cutting down trees was a cognisable offence and all those found engaged in the activity would be punished.

Expressing the resolve to carry out tree plantation campaigns in the city regularly, Khan encouraged citizens to actively participate in the ‘Green Karachi’ campaign.

He further claimed that the campaign would not only focus on planting trees but would also conduct workshops for public awareness campaigns to educate citizens over positive impacts of tree plantation on the environment.

The district administrators were also directed to ensure their active participation in the campaign, and in this regard all six of the district municipal corporations were directed to plant 10,000 trees in their respective areas.

National Forum for Environment and Health (NFEH) President Naeem Qureshi, while addressing the meeting informed the participants that 40 institutions and organizations from the public and private sectors had expressed their resolve to take part in the campaign.

Various land owning agencies of the city were also claimed to be participating in the campaign, which included the KMC, DMCs, KDA, DHA, cantonment boards, KCCI, FPCCI, SITE, KATI as well as ports and airport authorities.