If you want arms licence, you need to plant at least 10 saplings in order to get your application processed. These are the latest orders of Deputy Commissioner Chander Gaind, who has taken the initiative to increase the green cover in the border district.

Now every arms licence applicant has to plant at least 10 saplings and take a selfie with the plantation as proof to submit with the application.

Having done the plantation, the applicants will have to bring pictures after an interval of 30 days with the growing up saplings planted by them to prove that they are taking care of the plants.

These pictures would have to be attached with the application file prepared for obtaining an arms licence. Thereafter the applications would be considered fit for granting the licence.

Talking about the objectives behind the move, the DC said Ferozepur is among the districts having a large numbers of weapon licence holders with more than 20,000 arms licences issued so far. There are around 100 fresh applications, which are received every month for granting new weapon licences. Since the monsoon season is approaching and at this stage, the plantation is quite a crucial issue, so if every applicant plants 10 saplings, there will be thousand saplings planted every month.

If the applicants do not have their own land for plantation, the district administration would suggest some government land to such applicants.

The DC said the idea was to make Ferozepur one of the greenest cities of Punjab, for which maximum plantation has to be done during monsoon.