ISLAMABAD:
After losing hundreds of trees in the Metro Bus project, Islamabad once again would have to sacrifice another 300 trees and a portion of a park, for development of an Expressway, according to reports.
“Over 300 trees will be cut down. While a three-foot belt of Kachnar Park at I-8 – running parallel to the existing Islamabad Highway – will get encroached to make room for expansion of the highway,” confirmed a senior officer of the CDA.
The CDA’s environment wing claimed that most of the trees to be chopped off would be paper mulberry, pear and other fruit trees.
The CDA Spokesperson, Ramzan Sajid said that the development had a cost and the city would have to pay it. He said that as per the Environment Protection Agency guidelines the civic agency would plant three times more plants in various areas of Islamabad.
Some 759 fully grown and decades-old trees, 3,773 small trees and several shrubs were cut down during the construction of the Metro Bus project.
Additionally, 5,526 ground covers and small bushes were also removed.
Talking to a private media outlet, Dr Dushka Sayid, an environmental campaigner and member of Islamabad Green Force stated that the unplanned development in Islamabad was destroying the city.