Authorities have relocated 469 trees and 715 shrubs from Peshawar Road in Rawalpindi as work begins on three underpasses worth Rs8 billion.
The move comes after the federal and Punjab governments instructed departments not to cut trees at development sites, following public criticism over tree felling in Shakarparian, Islamabad.
Initial preparations have started at the Race Course Park, Army Graveyard, and Chairing Cross underpass locations. The Rawalpindi Cantonment Board shifted trees from the central median and roadside along Peshawar Road, covering the stretch between Qasim Market and Chairing Cross.
Cantonment Executive Officer Amir Rasheed said that 469 trees and 715 shrubs were carefully relocated and replanted in and around the same area. In addition, 74 dead trees were removed. On the recommendation of the Environmental Protection Agency of Punjab, the board will plant ten new trees for each dead one removed.
The relocated trees include species such as pilkan, sheesham, alstonia, peepal, dhariak, shireen, terminalia, conocorpus, eucalyptus, pine, and ashoka. The board has also instructed its Garden Branch to grow additional plants in its nursery to support further planting once construction is completed.
Meanwhile, the Islamabad Electric Supply Company has shifted electricity pylons from Chairing Cross to the Radio Pakistan area. The Punjab Communication and Works Department is expected to formally begin construction after Eid al-Fitr. Officials say the underpasses are likely to be completed within 70 days once construction work starts.
