Punjab forest dept ordered to stop new housing schemes

LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Local Government & Community Development Raja Basharat has said new housing schemes are damaging natural beauty of Kallar Kahar Hills besides posing serious threats to environmental protection.

He was presiding over a meeting of Cabinet Committee on Legislative Business at Civil Secretariat on Tuesday. The meeting was attended among others by the Punjab Minister for Excise and Taxation Hafiz Mumtaz Ahmad, Minister for Labour Anser Majeed Khan, Additional Chief Secretary Punjab, Additional Chief Secretary Home, Secretary Law and other officers of the concerned departments.

Raja Basharat directed the forest department to take solid measures to stop the initiation of housing schemes at Kallar Kahar Hills besides probing into the matter that who was issuing NOCs to such housing schemes. The Cabinet Committee gave go ahead to the proposal for establishment of full-fledge department of Probation & Parole by abolishing its directorate. The house approved proposal for banning approval for the water distributaries having capacity less than one Cusic in the semi perennial irrigated areas.

The Labour Department proposed to create a welfare fund for the domestic workers as well as law for registration of home based workers in Punjab which was acceded. The house also approved proposal of new forest policy and Punjab Wild life protection act 2019 while the draft act of Technology University of Technology Rawalpindi and Meer Chaker Rind University DG Khan.