ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s `Billion Tree Tsunami’ project has been marred by the local authorities’ negligence as thousands of tree-saplings planted in Peshawar’s Regi Lalma have disappeared few months after their plantation.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, in the hope that the plantation drive would mitigate climate change, had given its farmers free tree-saplings to plant across the province, the 150-million-dollar scheme would plant billion trees in the hilly province over the next three years, a private news channel reported.
More than 100,000 tree-saplings were planted in Regi Lalma seven months ago, project kicked off in June 2015 and so far millions of saplings have been raised in largely private nurseries across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for planting them across the province.
Adviser to the Chief Minister for Environment, Forests and Wildlife, Ishtiaq Umar ordered strict action against the negligent persons.
He said the matter was being investigated, adding it was the local government’s responsibility to take care of these plants.
