The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly’s Standing Committee on Environment has asked the forest department to ensure deployment of forest guards and watchers on every 500 acres of land at par with global standards instead of 1,000 acres being practised presently.
The committee met in the chair of MPA Shafiq Sher Afridi on Wednesday. MPAs Nawabzada Farid Salahuddin, Malak Badshah Saleh, Laiq Muhammad Khan, Madiha Nisar, Sajida Hanif, Sitara Afreen, Humaira Khatoon and Shagufta Malik, special secretary environment, DG environment, DG Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), other high-ups of the departments concerned attended the meeting.
The committee decided to visit forest areas all over the province and to review the forest and wildlife activities on ground. The committee further expressed concern on performance of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for poor vigilance on chipboard factories in Hayatabad industrial estate to make Peshawar pollution free city.
The participants of the committee were briefed on the core functions and performance of the department. On this occasion, performance of forest and wildlife was highly appreciated. However, the EPA was asked to prove its worth and control pollution emitting factories, adding the public health would not be compromised.
On this occasion, the environment department also briefed the committee on the questions moved by the MPAs. The chair underlined the need for mass awareness and promoting biodiversity and eco-tourism in the province. He said more legislation and result oriented steps would be ensured for the purpose.
