20 trees on Township greenbelt cut down

LAHORE: Twenty fully grown trees planted in the green belts around Township Model Bazaar were slaughtered overnight in the name of beautification and landscaping.

A visit to the Township Model Bazaar revealed that 20 fully grown up trees as well as many small plants have been cut down ruthlessly in the name of landscaping and beautification on the orders of Chief Executive Officer, Punjab Model Bazaar Management Company (PMBMC), Nasir Raffique.

The trees were cut down some five to six days back, said Jamil, a local resident. He said people living nearby tried to stop the labourers from cutting the trees on which the manager and staff of Township Model Bazaar came out and told the residents that only rusted trees are being cut. He said in reality they have cut down over 20 grown up trees out of which only two or three were rusted and infected with insects.

Adeel, a student living nearby, said the management of the bazaar also cut several fruit trees planted near the main entrance of the bazaar. He said these trees were two to three years old and he planted these trees himself.

When contacted, PMBMC CEO Nasir Raffique said he is not allowed to speak to media. He also refused to give the financial details of the ongoing landscaping and beautification project and told the scribe that he didn’t know these details. When asked who directed cutting of full grown trees, he said why the scribe is asking such questions. On the other hand, senior manager of PMBMC Saddam said the company is developing the green belts around the bazaar so that the local residents can enjoy the surroundings. He said only those trees were chopped off which were hard to adjust in the landscaping of these green belts. He also avoided giving financial details of the project and said everything is available on the website.

Dr Muhammad Aslam Ch, project consultant hired by PMBMC, claimed that most of the chopped off trees were infected or rusted. He said after the landscaping these green belts will change the look of the area, which will ultimately benefit the local residents.

Environmental experts said the provincial capital is already witnessing issues like smog and increased air pollution and trees are the only hope to save the city’s environment. They condemned the behaviour of the management and said landscaping will be more attractive if trees are included in it.

Section 10 of PHA Act 2012, which deals with use of public parks, green belts and green areas said that as per under the law, if any person intends to use a public park, green belt or green area for any purpose other than the normal use of the place, he shall make an application to the Authority.

A source in PHA said the Punjab government had already enhanced minimum punishment to three-day jail and fine up to Rs50,000 for cutting down trees in Lahore and other major cities. This was done by amending the Parks and Horticulture Authority Act 2012.

The scribe has repeatedly tried to contact PHA’s Director Misbahul Hassan Dar on his cell (0306-4134722) and PHA spokesman Shehzad Tariq on his cell (0300-9442257) and SMS was also sent to both but they didn’t reply until filing of this report.