PESHAWAR – The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s green initiative – Billion Tree Tsunami project – ran into to trouble as a resolution has been submitted in KP Assembly to probe irregularities in the project.
PTI renegade and Provincial Minister Ziaullah Afridi moved the resolution, challenging the KP government claims to have planted 1.18 billion trees under this campaign.
The minister seeks an investigation by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) into alleged Rs 6 billion financial irregularities made in the guise of this project. Afridi also called for awarding punishments to those found involved in this scandal.
According to the resolution, PTI chief Imran Khan announced the green initiative and the KP government launched a four-year drive. While referring to the official record, it added that only 240 million trees were planted in KP instead of 1.18 billion.
Earlier, a report on this project was presented in the assembly by the provincial Forestry, Environment and Wildlife Department, revealing that only 221,434,085 (221.4 million) trees have so far been planted in 20 out of 26 districts.
According to the statistics given by Forestry, Environment and Wildlife Department, as many as 6,305,133 (6.305 million) trees were planted in Mardan division; 82,769,908 (82.7m) in Hazara division; 8,422,861 (8.42m) in Kohat division; 11,661,063 (11.66m) in Dera Ismail Khan; 462,895 in Tank; 111,812,225 (111.81m) in Malakand forest region; and 5,864,775 (5.86m) trees have been planted in Kalam.
Moreover, 10,256,825 (10.25m) trees were planted in Shangla; 9,600,000 (9.6m) in Bunair; 26,673,897 (26.673m) in Malakand; 21,431,646 (21.431m) in Lower Dir; 14,331,384 (14.331m) in Upper Dir; 5,438,011 (5.438m) in Kohistan; and 6,932,187 (6.932m) have been planted in Chitral.
However, the documents presented in the KP assembly do not include details regarding the provincial capital Peshawar, Nowsehra, Charsadda, Bannu and Laki Marwat.
In 2014, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan launched the project to reduce the effects of global warming in Pakistan which is among the top ten countries most likely to be affected by the phenomenon.
This year in August, the provincial government announced to accomplish the project before the deadline, December 2017.
