The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday directed the Karachi mayor to submit details of the plantation carried out in the city during the last five years along with the municipality’s specific policy with regard to replantation of trees that were cut due to work on the Red Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project.
The direction came on a petition against felling of a large number of trees on University Road for the construction of the Red Line BRT corridor.
A division bench of the SHC headed by Justice Salahuddin Panhwar observed that it was a matter on record that hundreds of trees, including old trees, have been removed from track of the bus project.
A provincial law officer submitted that the Sindh forest department had no authority within the territorial jurisdiction of the cities.
The high court observed that the cities had been expanding every year and directed the forest department to submit a report with regard to applicability of the existing plantation laws in cities.
The SHC directed the mayor to submit the municipality’s plantation policy and details of the plantation carried out during the last five years. The bench observed that the mayor would have to appear in person to offer explanation if he failed to submit the report.
The high court also directed the forest department to assist the court with regard to ownership of trees in the city. The SHC also directed the petitioner to implead the contractor of the BRT project as a respondent in the case as according to the petitioner, he was bound to relocate or replant the trees under the terms of the contract.
The petitioners, Shahnawaz and others, had submitted that hundreds of old trees were cut down within the jurisdiction of the Cantonment Board Malir (CBM) to make way for the BRT corridor.
They said the Sindh government had started construction work on the Red Line BRT project and in the first phase, the route from Tank Chowk near Malir Halt to Safoora Chowrangi would be completed. They added that the authorities planned to cut around 50,000 trees for the 26-kilometre-long project ending at Numaish.
The petitioners requested the high court stop the authorities from cutting more trees as this would exacerbate the rising temperature in the city.
The transport authorities, however, denied the petitioners’ claim that 50,000 trees would be felled, and submitted that as per a survey, around 4,000 trees were to be cut down and the contractor was bound to relocate those plants or plant five trees for every tree removed.
The government officials said the BRT project was initiated after completing all the codal formalities and seeking approval from the relevant authorities, including the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency.