Officials of DHA have suddenly closed the entrance through Neelum Colony of Zamzama Park
KARACHI: It is said that parks are the lungs of a city. Unfortunately, most people seem to be ignorant of this. Officials of the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) have suddenly closed the entrance through Neelum Colony of Zamzama Park during the mornings. They have thus deprived old men and women from Neelum Colony of having access to the park, to be able to walk a little and then rest on benches. Schoolchildren as young as three to four years of age would stroll through the park to reach their school, situated opposite Mall Square. A burqa-clad group of female students would feel secure while heading to school through the park. Now, after the closure of the park’s gate, those small children and girls have to take a long detour that is double their previous distance to reach school.
It is ironic that since Neelum Colony residents are from a lower socioeconomic class, the authorities, without giving it a second thought, have imposed this discriminatory restriction. The authorities concerned have also overlooked the fact that there are many poor men and women living near the gate entrance and access to the park is very convenient through the said gate. Several old people are unable to take a long route and enter the park through the other gate near Mall Square. When I contacted a responsible DHA officer and inquired about the closure of the above-mentioned gate, he cited the problem that the people of Neelum Colony misuse the toilet and children wreak havoc in the park. How can small schoolchildren wreak havoc in the park? Nonetheless, in the evenings, when the authorities concerned seem more concerned about earning revenue, the said gate is generously opened. In no civilised society can parks be closed on a whim. London’s Hyde Park and New York’s Central Park are never closed on such flimsy pretexts.
Lt Col (retd) Safir A Siddiqui
Published in The Express Tribune, September 24th, 2015.
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