CM wants urban forestation campaign made a success

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Thursday directed the quarters concerned to pay special attention to plantation in urban areas during the ongoing monsoon plantation campaign.

Chairing a meeting regarding Urban Plantation Drive held here, he said, “The saplings with the capacity to grow into big trees be selected for plantation in urban areas.”

The chief minister also directed them to take strict actions against the use of plastic bags so as to make the province polythene free.

The officials of the departments concerned attended the meeting while divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners of the concerned districts joined the meeting through video link.

The meeting discussed the proposed strategy for plantation under the urban forestation drive and took a number of important decisions. The chief minister directed the administrative secretaries, divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners to execute the strategy chalked out for urban forestation drive in letter and spirit. He also directed the authorities concerned to plant the saplings on road sides, banks of canals, government schools, offices, hospitals and on all other available space.

He also directed them to engage citizens in plantation drive to make it a real success. Mahmood Khan directed the divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners to take indiscriminate actions against the use of plastic bags and said that the provincial government had made proper legislation for the purpose which needs to be implemented in true sense. Mahmood Khan said that the urban plantation and ban on plastic bags were of vital importance and inaction in this regard would not be tolerated.