A large-scale tree plantation campaign has been launched in Punjab under the “Chief Minister Plant for Pakistan” initiative, under which trees will be planted on an area of 48,368 acres in Punjab.
Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb says that under Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s mission, a target of 42.5 million saplings has been set, while 7.361 million trees are planned to be planted on an area of 8,496 acres in the financial year 2024-25. For this purpose, Rs 1,800 million has been allocated in the current financial year, out of which Rs 1,085 million has been spent so far, which is 60 percent of the total budget.
She said that during the spring season, 5.966 million trees are planned to be planted on 6,637 acres of land. Under this campaign, tree plantation is being done at more than 300 locations including Lahore, Kasur, Gujranwala, Gujarat, Murree, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Muzaffargarh.
The project includes Suhanjana, Cheer, Neem, Kekar, Sheesham, Siras, Bukai, Samal, Arjun as well as various fruit trees which will not only reduce air pollution but also enhance environmental beauty.
This project will be completed at a total cost of Rs 8,000 million under which work is underway to make forests, belajats, canal banks, roadsides, hilly areas of Pothohar, Murree and desert areas green. So far, 2.73 million saplings have been planted on an area of 4,000 acres, and this project is progressing rapidly.
Maryam Aurangzeb further said that these measures are not only important for environmental protection but will also lay the foundation for a green and healthy Punjab for future generations.
