Altaf Hamid Rao.
Prime Minister AJK inaugurates,
ISLAMABAD: (Parliament Times) A comprehensive and integrated monsoon tree plantation campaign began throughout AJK on Friday.
Azad Jammu Kashmir Prime Minister Raja Muhammad Farooq Haider Khan inaugurated the campaign by planting a sapling at Jammu Kashmir house here.
Speaking on the occasion the Premier said that forests are essential for clean environment, greenery, and soil erosion. He directed the Forest department and concerned authorities to take strict action against timber mafia without any discrimination.
He underlined the need for comprehensive planning to overcome environmental hazards and to maintain the beauty of the State. He stressed the forests department to ensure that maximum numbers of saplings are planted during the monsoon tree plantation drive.
He also urged the people to cooperate with the forest department to supplement the government efforts to make the state green and symbol for other regions.
He congratulated the minister for forest, secretary forest and other officials for their efforts to achieve the target of 62 million plantation of saplings and said that during the current monsoon campaign plantation will be made on over 12 thousand acre of land, while the target of spring plantation campaign was achieved successfully, he added.
He stated that maximum plantation of trees and their protection was imperative and urged to discourage the trend of cutting trees in the state.
He said that the billion tree tsunami project is going on successfully in AJK, which is an example for the other provinces of Pakistan.
The Premier said that through maximum plantation we can overcome the challenges of climate change and environmental issues. The forests of Azad Kashmir are very essential for agriculture production and added that the results of tree plantation are very encouraging and the forest department has been playing a significant role in this regard.