ISLAMABAD: As per National Highway Authority (NHA) approved policy, plantation has been declared the integral part of road construction activates.
Being source of economic benefit, plantation has been made part of all Highway Projects launched in last five years, an official of NHA told APP on Wednesday. He said that a proposal for plantation of 122,877 plants for two years has been processed for three sections of D.I. Khan-Mughal Kot Highway (N-50) and Median of Nowshera-Chitral Road (N-45).
He said that approximately 206,525 trees are planned to be planted in Punjab on N-55 from Kashmore to Dera Ghazi Khan section of Indus Highway and Lahore -Rawalpindi section of Grand Trunk Road (-N-5).Moreover approximately 70,350 plants will be planted in Sindh on Moro-Sakrand N-5 and in District Ghotki from Km 525 to 608 of N-5.
He said that on Pindi Bhattian-Multan Motorway (M-4) the tree plantation schemes for five years in the Right of Way are under procurement process.
About the under-construction projects,he said that proper plantation will commence at the time of completion of the ongoing projects. Plantation has been made part of contract document and sufficient amount has been incorporated in new civil works contacts, he said.
In this regard,institutional arrangements have been made and Afforestation Section will be mobilized on these projects alongwith lunching of new plantation contracts. Moreover,he said provincial forest departments are also kept in liaison in order to carryout plantation in various regions along National Highways & Motorways.
He said that in projects and regional offices, concerned general managers are assigned the task and they are responsible to monitor plantation activities in their respective regions.
He said it is a need of the hour to address climatic change issues and to act accordingly.
At present few changes in the approved policy are under consideration and pattern for the tree plantation shall be finalized i.e. after every 5 to 10 kilometers new species will be introduced for the benefit of land, environment and for the improvement of aesthetic sense.
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