Urban forest project launched in Shah Faisal Colony

Sindh Law and Environment Adviser Barrister Murtaza Wahab has said the provincial government will contribute up to Rs750 billion, and the Centre will provide the remaining Rs350 billion for the recently unveiled Rs1.1 trillion package for the development of Karachi.

Wahab, who also acts as the spokesman for the Sindh government, stated this on Thursday while talking to media persons as he, along with Deputy Commissioner Korangi District Shaharyar Memon, launched an urban forest project in Shah Faisal Town.

He said the government would repeatedly plead the case of Karachi before the federal government, which should fulfil the promises it had made in this regard. The law adviser said torrential monsoon rains had caused widespread devastation in Karachi and other districts of Sindh, but no assistance had been received from the federal government for these calamity-hit areas despite the fact that the chief minister had written a letter on this issue to the prime minister. He said the PM had not yet responded to the letter.

He said that recently President Dr Arif Alvi had also visited disaster-hit areas in Sindh, but later no help followed. Wahab said the urban forest had been established at such a green belt of the area where massive heaps of garbage, as well as a marriage hall, had been present just a year back. He said the area had been cleaned by the deputy commissioner with the support of the civil administration. He noted that 13,000 saplings had been planted on the three-kilometre long green belt, and a nursery had also been established and an uninterrupted supply of water ensured.

He said efforts would be made to install a waste water treatment plant for the urban forest. The District Municipal Corporation of Korangi had completed this project just in a week, whereas the previous elected municipal leadership could not do any such work during their four-year tenure in office.

Barrister Wahab hoped that the residents would safeguard these plants and would remain alert against any attempt to grab the land. He appealed to the public to plant trees and afterwards take care of the plants.

Korangi Deputy Commission Shaharyar Memon, who also holds the additional charge of the DMC of the area, appealed to the public to play their due role in securing plants for the urban forest project.