PESHAWAR: On Thursday, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government agreed to start the “Billion Tree Plus” project in order to expand the province’s forest cover.
The decision was made during a meeting that Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur convened. Attendees included key officials, Forest Secretary Nazar Hussain Shah, Principal Secretary to the CM Amjad Ali Khan, and Forest Minister Fazal Hakim.
According to an official statement released by the CM’s House, officials addressed attendees about the forest department’s operations, including performance, goals, administrative, and related matters.
In addition to giving the go-ahead for the authorities to finish their assignments for the new afforestation project, Mr. Gandapur stated that a successful plan should be developed to improve revenue collection for the department and stop the province’s woods from being cut down.
Gandapur mandates that CCTV cameras be installed at forest checkpoints.
He mandated a significant increase in the fine for unlawful logging and forest clearing, saying it ought to exceed the cost of the timber taken.
The chief minister added that in order to closely monitor timber smuggling and other illicit operations, CCTV cameras have to be placed at every forest checkpoint.
In addition, he gave authorities instructions to develop workable ideas and an action plan for expanding fishing in the region.
The goal of the Billion Tree Tsunami initiative, which PTI chairman Imran Khan introduced in 2015, was to reverse land loss and degradation in the hilly, historically wooded KP region in the Hindu Kush mountain range.
According to the PTI provincial government at the time, one billion trees had been planted.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) eventually reported that only 250 million trees had been planted, which caused scandals to surround the initiative. Additionally, inquiries were made to look into any abnormalities in the project.
It was claimed that plants were not purchased at market value but rather were purchased from nurseries at a premium price because they were ignorant of the specifications.
Six probes about the Billion Tree Tsunami Project are reportedly ongoing, but one inquiry about the alleged wrongdoing in the same project in Dera Ismail Khan has been concluded, according to NAB papers.
However, PTI described it as a flagship project of its administration and asserted that environmentalists and conservationists around the world praised the program.
The chief minister chaired a discussion concerning the Peshawar-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway as well.
He was informed by officials on the status of the motorway project, its overall budget, and its suggested alignment.
For the aim of building the Peshawar-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway, Mr. Gandapur instructed officials to take into account the “build, operate, and transfer” option, stating that all required preparations should be made.
Participants were informed by officials that a sizable populace will profit from the 365 km long motorway’s two tunnels and 19 interchanges.
Additionally, they added that at the ninth meeting of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Joint Working Group, the Peshawar-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway was addressed, and it was determined to reconsider the project at the next meeting.
