PHA seeks Rs91m for Rawalpindi parks

Cites inability to meet requirements through own resources

RAWALPINDI: The Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) has asked Punjab government to provide Rs91 million in the fiscal year 2016/2017 to finance security measures at public parks in the garrison city.

The PHA has already spent about Rs2 million to enhance security at three major public parks in accordance with rules prepared by law enforcement agencies.

A senior PHA official said that the authority had been concerned about security at parks following a March suicide bombing at Iqbal Park in Lahore. The recently established authority does not generate enough revenue to pay for the additional security expenses, the official noted.

The PHA maintains 46 parks in Rawal Town, Potohar Town, and Murree.

Earlier, the provincial government also provided finances to the PHA for enhancing security at three major parks — Nawaz Sharif Park on Benazir Bhutto Road, Liaqat Bagh Park, and a park in Commercial Market.

The authority had placed razor wire along the boundary walls of the parks, raised the heights of the walls, installed CCTV cameras and walkthrough gates, and also provided metal detectors for security guards.

PHA Director General Abid Malik confirmed that the authority had sought additional funds for security measures.

In response to a question about the PHA’s sources of income, Dr Malik said that the district government had handed over fee collection for billboards to the authority. He added that the authority would generate around Rs130 million every year through auction of advertisement rights. He noted that the authority was also expecting to earn Rs40 million from auctioning advertisement rights for metro bus track pillars, utility poles, and streetlights, among other things.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 19^th, 2016.