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| People don’t take to tree planting campaign |
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2006/3/2
LAHORE: The spring tree-plantation drive by the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) has drawn a lacklustre response from the public so far, and appears unlikely to achieve the authority’s target of selling 50,000 plants.
The PHA Nurseries deputy director told Daily Times that the authority plans to sell two-year-old Alstonia, Gaab, Molsery, Milleetea, Kachnar, Marwa, Hibiscus, Lagerstroemia, Chandni, Motia, Tecoma and Kanair plants in its spring campaign.
The authority is offering each plant for one rupee to interest people in the plantation drive, he said. However, the PHA has set up only two points in the city – at Liberty Market in Gulberg and the main gate of Ghulam Jillani Park – to sell the plants. The PHA salesman at Race Course Park, Ahmed Din, said that he had sold around 700 plants in the last five days, almost his entire stock. He said that his customers were more interested in buying flower-bearing plants, but he did not have any. People this year did not appear as enthusiastic about buying plants as last year, he said.
However, the PHA salesmen at the Liberty Market stall have not sold a single plant. “We have been here for the last five days but have failed to sell a single plant. The residents of the area don’t appear interested in buying plants,” said a man stationed at the outlet, sitting in the midst of around 300 plants.
Another PHA salesman there blamed the PHA for offering such a low price for each plant. People in Gulberg would happily buy a plant for Rs 100, he said, but would presume that one being offered for one rupee was substandard. “The PHA is at fault for trying to lure people not interested in cheap plants,” he said.
He said that the strategy would work for middle-income residents of Green Town, Township, Johar Town, Allama Iqbal Town, Walled City, Shadbagh, Misri Shah, Mughalpura and other such areas.
Several children accompanied by their parents were buying plants at the Race Course Park entrance. Five-year-old Eman Chaudhary said that she was buying plants because they were “humans’ best friends”. Her parents had told her that trees provided oxygen, she said. “I have many plants in my garden at home,” she said.
Bilal Mohsin, eight, was keen to buy only a flower-bearing plant. However, he relented when the salesman told him that the plant would bear flowers in a couple of months. Noor Alam, a resident of Baghbanpura, said that he had come to the PHA stall to teach his children about the benefits of plants and plantation.
PHA Public Relations Deputy Director Javaid Shaida said that the public is enthusiastic about buying plants. The PHA has established points outside its offices on major routes of the city to attract more people, he said. |
| Source:http://www.dailytimes.com.pk |
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