‘No road dualisation at cost of environment’

Islamabad: Environmental protection is our foremost responsibility and therefore, dualisation of roads should not happen at the cost of environment, especially if viable alternatives are available. This was stated by adviser to the prime minister on climate change Malik Amin Aslam Khan during a meeting on the smooth flow of traffic on Embassy Road from G-5 to F-5.

The meeting was attended by additional secretary of climate change Khurram Ali Agha, SSP Traffic ICT Farukh Rasheed and joint secretary of the interior ministry. The adviser said the ICT administration should avoid dualisation of roads at the cost of environmental damages.

He said in September 2017, the CDA chopped off around 200 trees from the Attaturk Avenue on the pretext of dualisation of the road to ensure smooth flow of traffic. The adviser said environmental protection was the government's foremost responsibility.

"Dualisation of roads at the cost of environmental damages must be avoided especially if viable alternatives are present," he said. The adviser suggested to the ICT authorities that embassy road running parallel to Attaturk Avenue, be opened completely from G-5/2 to F-5/2 to avoid traffic congestion in the red zone instead of dualising the roads.