ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has summoned the secretaries of the forest department of all the provinces with the direction to file reports on tree plantation in their respective provinces.
A two-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, on Wednesday, heard a human rights case regarding pricing mechanism and management of water usage. The secretary Sindh Forests informed the bench that 570 million trees have been planted in the province.
Upon that the chief justice remarked if that had happened then the whole province would have become green. Justice Ijazul Ahsan inquired on how much land the trees had been planted.
The secretary replied the trees have been planted on 27 lakh acres of land.
He said that out of 10 billion trees, three billion would be planted in Sindh.
The chief justice observed that the goats have eaten the saplings planted by the Sindh government.
He said it appears the Sindh government is not spending money for the protection of the plants.
He said the forest land in Thatta has been encroached.
Justice Gulzar told the secretary to utilise all the resources for plantation and protection of trees in Sindh.
About Balochistan, the chief justice stated that in Ziarat, the trees are being chopped for fire, adding, if one travels from Quetta to Chaman he would not find any tree there.
He questioned why trees were not planted on hills.
The secretary Balochistan said that trees require fertile soil and water, while the mountains in Balochistan are solid rocks.
He said in Lasbela and Coastal Highways, 22 million trees would be planted, adding that with the Pakistan army, the provincial government has initiated tree plantation.
The chief justice suggested that trees should be planted on Gwadar to Karachi Highway as well.
The court expressed annoyance over the absence of the secretary Forest Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The chief justice said why not issue his arrest warrant.
However, the advocate general KP informed that the secretary would appear on the next date.
The chief justice noticed that rest houses and hotels are being established on KP hills. The construction is going on after the cutting of trees in the National Park.
Justice Ijaz said Margalla Hills is declared a National Park then how construction could be done on it. The AG KP said will submit a report after a survey of the Margalla Hills. The chief justice asked what would happen to those hills, which have already been allotted.
The trees are being cut in Kumrat, Swat, and Nathiagali, said the CJP, and added that the Forest Department is doing timber business, as the delivery is made at home. An official of the KP Forest Department informed that 190 million trees have been planted.
The chief justice told him not to impress them with the foreign media reports.
He said if 190 million trees have been planted then the whole KP would look green.
Justice Ijaz questioned from where the saplings were obtained for 190 million trees. The official replied that they threw seeds on the ground. Justice Ijaz remarked it means that after throwing seeds everything is left to Allah. He said in the last hearing they had sought details of the 10 billion trees tsunami project as they wanted to see whether the trees were planted on paper.
The case was adjourned for a month.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021