losing green cover to develop road infrastructure, Punjab Government on Tuesday ordered the forest officials to formulate plan for planting trees along the national highways. At the same time, a report has also been sought to explore the possibility of planting more trees along the State and national highways.
Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, who maintained that sometimes they had to forego things for better facilities, on Tuesday also suggested to formulate a rule that if trees are to be cut, it should be planted too.
State Forest and Wildlife Preservation Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot directed the forest officers to ensure planting of trees along soon-to-come-up new national highways, stressing that “this is absolutely necessary to maintain the forest cover as well as ecological balance”.
Also emphasizing the need to plant more trees in the forest areas, he instructed the departmental officers to explore the possibilities of planting more trees alongside state and national highways and submit a report concerning the same within one month.
The directions were issued after his meeting with the state Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Razia Sultana.
Dharamsot maintained that necessary approvals for felling of trees for the purpose of constructing ultra-modern road network in the state would soon be accorded to the PWD so as to provide the best infrastructure to the people of Punjab.
He also instructed the officers of the forest department to accord necessary approvals in faster mode for constructing national highways in the State.