PTI govt planted over one million saplings: CM

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government planted more than one million trees only in the provincial capital during the last two-and-a-half years, whereas a large number of trees were mercilessly cut down in the last regime.

In a statement issued here on Sunday, he said that wrong priorities of former rulers resulted in substantial increase in pollution in Punjab including Lahore.

He said that neither the rulers took timely measures to deal with the issue. Excessive utilisation of bricks and cement has destroyed the natural beauty of the city and new generation has been provided a polluted atmosphere instead of clean and hygienic atmosphere, he added.

The chief minister said that the problem of smog became serious due to poor planning of former rulers, adding that the planted saplings would become fully grown trees within next few years which would help control the smog issue besides reducing pollution in the city.

He said that work for planting artificial urban forests (Miyawaki) on 51 points in Lahore had already been started. With this method, trees grow very fast at a low cost. In-Sha-Allah, Lahore would soon become a city of gardens and flowers again, he vowed.