The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday issued notices to Punjab environment secretary and the principal secretary to chief minister in a petition challenging the cutting and chopping of trees for construction purposes.
Advocate Sheraz Zaka filed this petition on behalf of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Andleeb Abbas.
Sheraz Zaka argued that Punjab government had cut and chopped hundreds of trees for construction of the Orange Line Metro Train, signal free corridor and widening if canal road projects from Doctor’s Hospital to Thokar Niaz Baig.
“Lahore has been deprived of its scenic beauty after more than thousand trees have been chopped down and truncated from their roots due to the orange train project and other mega projects like signal free corridor as well as widening of canal road project”, he stated, adding that cutting trees will in result of environmental degradation and increase in pollution level by these projects.
The content of the petition reads, “Trees are known as lungs of nature and cheapest natural source of consumption of the carbon dioxide (Green House Gas) at local, national and global level and are considered as ‘Carbon Sinks’ while forest cover on an area of 25 per cent of the country area is considered as excellent forest condition”
It also reads that in Punjab only 5 per cent of the area is under forest. “The deforestation rate has been estimated as 0.2 – 0.5 per cent per annum – the world’s second highest rate of deforestation” it reads adding that woody biomass is declining at a rate of 4 – 6 per cent per year.
The petition further reads that it is need of time to conserve and develop the renewable natural resources, such as forests and biodiversity. It demands to initiate a process for eliminating the fundamental causes of the depletion of forest through participation of all the concerned agencies and stakeholders, to promote the sustainable forest harvesting to meet the local, national and global demand.
The court was told that the trees, grown on 27.1km long route from Dera Gujran to Ali Town, detached from their roots are of various kinds, including Arjun, Dhak, Mahwa, Bahara, Alstonia, Ashoke, Sheesham, Alata, Kenair, Weeping Willow, Peepal, Simbal, Berri, Sukh Chain and Poplar. It was also informed that in 2015 Punjab government assured court that for 10 trees would be planted against each tree cut.
After hearing arguments of the petitioner Justice Ayesha Malik observed that the development of the Lahore city should not hamper the scenic beauty of Lahore. She adjourned hear till Jan 13, 2017.