SHC tells mayor to submit details of tree plantation project in city

The Sindh High Court has directed the Karachi mayor Karachi to submit details of any project with regard to tree planation and turning the metropolis into a green city on models adopted in metropolitan cities of other countries.

Issuing an order on petitions against the lack of forestation in Sindh and the conversion of agricultural land into housing societies in urban areas of Karachi, a division bench, headed by Justice Salahuddin Panhwar, directed the secretary of the forest and wildlife department to submit details of agreements of the forest department with private companies.

The court directed the forest department to submit a report with regard to the amount allocated in the budget book released in favour of the forest department as well as utilized by it under which scheme and authority.

It further directed the forest department to submit details of all correspondence with the private body on environment with regard to plantation and the amount received through different companies.

The high court also sought a report on the forest department policy if any with regard to change of status of forest land into Barani land.

It was informed by intervener Ali Nawaz Unar that around 24,000 acres of forest land in Gambat and Sobodor Tehsils had been occupied by influential persons and they were irrigating the land as their own property and earning from the forest land. The court issued a notice to the forest department on the application and directed the secretary forest to ensure removal of encroachments from the forest land as per the orders of the court.

The court observed that the KP and Punjab provinces have a separate forest force like law enforcement agencies; however, such a force does not exist in Sindh. It said forest officers do not have any vehicle for patrolling to visit the forest land.

The secretary forest submitted that the department was going to amend the law by introducing the same concept of a force like in other two provinces.

The court directed the secretary law and the secretary forest to ensure that such amendments were at par with other provinces and in case of failure in doing so the court would examine the issue on the judicial side and pass an appropriate order. The court was earlier told that the provincial government had spent Rs7.400,132 billion on forestation, mangrove rehabilitation and other planting drives over five years.

Regarding the sale of carbon credits, the secretary forest submitted that the forest & wildlife department received Rs3.25 billion ($14.77 million) in December 2022, and it was deposited in the department’s account. No expenditure has been incurred until August 2024, and the same amount can be incurred on the restoration of the forest ecosystem in Sindh, he added.

The petitioners said in their pleas that the public is suffering due to the lack of forestation in the urban areas, and becoming victims of pollution and heatwaves.