KARACHI - Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed the Forests Department to launch a campaign against the people who have encroached upon the department’s land, and plant trees on the vacant land.

This he said while talking to Forests Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Chief Conservator Aijaz Nizamani and other officials of the department who attended inaugural ceremony of Spring Tree Plantation Campaign 2018. On this occasion, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali planted a palm tree at Chief Minister’s House.

The campaign has simultaneously been started in all 29 districts of the province with a target of planting over half a million saplings on the inaugural day on Friday alone. The campaign is aimed at planting local species at public and community places such as educational institution, bus stops and roadsides.

Sindh Education Foundation-run schools have also been actively involved in the campaign all over the province.

Forest Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, briefing the chief minister, said that target of the tree plantation given by him to the department would be achieved. Division-wise targets for the days are as follows:

Karachi Civil Division has a target of 10,375,000 saplings and 165,000 were being planted on Friday. Hyderabad Civil Division has a target of 3,500,000 plants and 100,000 saplings were being planted on Friday. Mirpurkhas Civil Division has a target of 900,000 plants against which 15,000 were being planted on Friday. Shaheed Benazirabad Civil Division has a target of 1,750,000 saplings and 55,000 saplings were being planted on Friday. Larkana Civil Division has a spring target of 1,875,000 saplings and 85,000 were being planted on Friday.

Sukkur Civil Division has a target of 1,600,000 saplings and 80,000 saplings were being planted on Friday. This way, 20,000,000 trees would be planted during spring 2018 and 500,000 of them on Friday alone.

The chief minister emphasized planting and protecting trees and forests in all ecological regions of Sindh ranging from coastal mangrove ecosystem to the riverine forests, and sustainable use of land resources in barrage areas of the province.

Murad Ali Shah appreciated mangrove-planting success of the Sindh Forests Department spanning two decades and directed the department to come up with a dynamic strategy for forests rehabilitation in riverine and irrigated plantation areas of the province. The chief minister directed the chief conservator of forests to spearhead the anti-encroachment campaign on forestland and ensure planting of forests on vacated lands in order to prevent recurrence of encroachment on the retrieved area.