FAISALABAD The City

Making Faisalabad pollution free
PHA urged to involve masses in tree plantation drives
From Our Correspondent
FAISALABAD: Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) president Engineer Rizwan Ashraf Friday urged the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) to involve the masses in tree plantation campaigns to make Faisalabad lush green and pollution free metropolis of central Punjab.
Talking to a 2-member delegation of the PHA that called on him in his office, Rizwan said the business community of Faisalabad is fully convinced to fulfill its Social Corporate Responsibilities (SCR). “They have also played a proactive role during natural calamities”, he said and maintained that the FCCI and other business related associations have played their key role in plantation along canal road. He said only FCCI had spent Rs.3.5 million on this head but we could not obtain the required results only because of the poor management of the relevant departments. However, despite the dismally poor survival rate of the plants, we are still cooperating in tree plantation campaigns, he said.
The FCCI chief said according to dominating segment of the business community, the survival rate of the saplings planted during government sponsored tree plantation campaigns is only ten percent as remaining 90 per cent died due to poor care of the plants by the PHA.
He also criticized the working of the PHA which is tantamount to the wastage of public money. He said first water is pumped into PHA water tankers from canal and then it is used to water the plants along canal road despite of the fact that that this process could be performed manually.
He also invited Director General PHA to visit and brief the FCCI members on the performance and future plans of the Authority.
Inaam Afzal Khan vice president said the FCCI is bearing the expenses for the tree plantation on Faisalabad Airport. Out of the total demand of 1,000 plants, 500 saplings have been planted and remaining would be provided after the evaluation of the survival rate of the already planted saplings.
Yousaf Mufti of the PHA said the Authority has very recently recruited 400 “baildars” and he intends to depute at least 150 of them exclusively on canal road to ensure the continuous care of the plants.
He said DCO Noor-Ul-Amin Mangal has allocated 12-13 acres of land in Niamoanna to the PHA for the establishment of a nursery. “We will fully utilize it and try to fulfill our needs of new plants from this nursery instead of purchasing plants from the private nurseries. He said the PHA has also been tasked to plant trees along newly constructed road from the Main Jhang road to the Parking area of Faisalabad airport.