The timber mafia in Karachi has been illegally cutting down decades-old large green trees in different areas of the provincial capital, against the Prime Minister’s vision of the Billion Tree Tsunami project.
According to details, the timber mafia has been chopping down trees in Pakistan Steel Mill and Steel Town while the authorities have turned a blind eye to the matter.
Sources have it that the Incharge Horticulture of Pakistan Steel Mills had issued a tender for the cleaning of dry trees, bushes, and shrubs from the premises of the mill and town.
Moreover, the tender was displayed as a banner on the road going towards the mill and town, which was in clear violation of PPRA Rules, which require state entities to advertise the tender in print media.
To make matters worse, the Incharge Horticulture awarded the tender to a private contractor without conducting a formal bidding process.
While the total duration of the contract is six months, the contractor transports several trucks loaded with trees out of the mills and colony on a daily basis.
