Chopping of trees in Islamabad not allowed

Islamabad : The government will continue to pursue zero tolerance policy against timber mafia and no one will be allowed to cut off even a single tree in the Islamabad Capital Territory, said adviser to the premier on climate change Malik Amin Aslam Khan.

During a visit to Attaturk Avenue here on Tuesday, he said the ministry was constantly monitoring tree plantation across Embassy Road Atta Turk Avenue, while the Capital Development Authority would furnish its progress report regarding tree plantation to the ministry on quarterly basis.

Federal climate change secretary Khizar Hayat Khan, IG Forests Syed Mehmood Nasir, Environmental Protection Agency director general Farzana Altaf and senior officials of the ministry also accompanied him.

The PM adviser said in 2017, when tree cutting issue was reported by Rauf Kalasra in his talk show, the PTI robustly protested this nefarious act of tree cutting on Embassy Road Subsequently, the apex court took the cognisance and summoned the CDA through a suo moto action.

"The CDA took the plea that they have uprooted the trees in accordance with the master plan of expansion of Ataturk Road while EPA submitted its "environmental impact assessment" report and protested this deforestation.

Then the CDA committed to planting 2.5 million trees in lieu of these 197 uprooted trees, on the road sides of Embassy Road and they were also barred to further cut off any tree by the court," he said.

Malik Amin said the CDA had planted 4160 trees so for and the climate change ministry would continue close monitoring of the site till completion of the commitment of plantation of 2.5 million trees.

He said the CDA was bound to submit its quarterly report to the ministry in this respect.

"We will continue with zero tolerance against timber mafia and won't allow anyone to chop off even a single tree in Islamabad Capital Territory," he said.