Daily Times

The Capital Development Authority has removed a plethora of overgrown paper mulberry trees around the flag monument leaving the greenbelt denuded.

The removed tree cover would be replaced by a “Movement Park” and massive plantation aimed at highlighting the struggle of the nation’s creation and the world’s largest human migration in recorded history.

Director Environment CDA Irfan Niazi told APP that the paper mulberry trees being cut would be replaced by some 10,000 saplings of native and fast-growing species of plants. He said there would be murals highlighting the historic migration made during the partition of the sub-continent in 1947.

The purpose of developing such an artistic monument was to attract the Pakistani youth to understand their history of creation as the separate Muslim state of the sub-continent, he added. Responding to a question, he said the massive plantation of some 10,000 saplings would make the entire flag monument spot fully green and thriving with nature and would also satiate the demands of environmentalists calling to revive the removed trees.

Replying to another query, he said there were only paper mulberry trees that were felled as they created massive pollen leading to respiratory diseases and health complications for the local people. Huma Qureshi, a climate activist was of the view that removing massive trees in the name of invasive paper mulberry trees was deploring as only a few trees were being planted in lieu of those being chopped down by the CDA.

It would have a definite impact on the air quality and temperature of the vicinity as trees absorbed carbon dioxide and released oxygen into the atmosphere resulting in moderate temperature and clean ambience, she added.