Gilani launches tree plantation campaign, declares 2009 year of environment

Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Sunday launched the with the pledge to dedicate the year 2009 to environment and a greener Pakistan. The Prime Minister kicked off the monsoon plantation campaign by planting a sapling of araucaria in the lawns of the Prime Minister House here. Later talking to newsmen, he symbolised the sapling with that of the tree of democracy which grew in the hands of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto.

He said the forest cover which is five percent of the surface area of the country will be increased by another one percent by 2015. The Ministry of Environment will oversee the current plantation campaign.

The Prime Minister appealed to the nation especially school children to fully participate in the monsoon plantation drive to make it a success.

He said the government is taking a variety of steps to keep the environment clean and green and bring down pollution levels. A major project will be launching of environment friendly 8000 CNG buses in major cities.

The government is also taking up the idea of energy saver bulbs which will help conserve energy, Gilani added. The Prime Minister has instructed the Environment Minister to keep the people informed of the government’s policy measures aimed at protection of environment. The government plans to plant 50 million saplings during the current monsoon campaign which will be a major drive to protect and enhance the country’s forest cover.