ISLAMABAD: The government has approved a tree plantation campaign, in collaboration with the private sector, which will be completed at an estimated cost of Rs 12 billion, Labour and Manpower Minister Syed Khursheed Shah said on Friday.
Replying to supplementary questions raised by parliamentarians during the Question Hour in the National Assembly, the minister said that in the past, forests were ruthlessly cut down for development projects. However, the government was taking pragmatic steps to cover greater area of Pakistan’s land with trees, he added.
Implementation: Khursheed said that currently, 23 Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) projects were under implementation at a total cost of Rs 15.3 billion. He said that National Forest Policy 2010 has been prepared and would shortly be presented to the cabinet.
Khurshid said that Pakistan set a new Guinness World Record on July 15, 2009 when 300 planters from the local communities planted 541,176 saplings of mangroves trees on 796 acres on an island at Keti Bunder within 24 hours.
To a supplementary question, he said that under the devolution plan, the Environment Ministry was also included in the concurrent list, and its control would be handed over to the respective provinces by June next year.
Meanwhile, Minister for Communications Arbab Alamgir said that two proposals were under consideration for the construction of a six-lane M-9. In response to a question, he said that the government was considering constructing the M-9 on Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis or from its own resources.
He said that the design plan and PC-1 of the project had already been approved and the project was divided into nine packages. Tenders for two packages had already been awarded and work would commence as soon as the funds are received, he added.
To another query, the minister said that work on the Lowari Tunnel was being carried out and the project would be completed within its stipulated period. The PC-1 for Khanewal-Lodhran Express Highway had also been approved, he said, adding that work was being delayed due to lack of funds.
