Lady Garden case: Make park affordable, accessible: PHC

CBA CEO Shah assured the court that the green belt or trees would not be harmed

ABBOTTABAD: A bench of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday asked Cantonment Board Abbottabad to ensure that trees and green belt surrounding Lady Garden are protected and facilities at the popular play land are affordable for common citizens.

Human rights lawyer Zafar Iqbal filed a writ petition with the Abbottabad bench of the PHC a few months ago in which he urged the court to ensure that entertainment facilities set up in the 184-year-old park by a private firm do not damage the green belt and precious trees there, while praying that no any such alteration in the park should be disallowed.

While disposing the petition, the two-member bench, comprising Justice Qaisar Rasheed and Justice Ibrahim Khan, called CBA CEO Farasat Ali Shah for his reply. Shah told the court that only seven kanals of parkland had been contracted out to a private firm to build play area in view of the long-standing demand of the city’s residents.

He assured the court that the green belt or trees would not be harmed.

After hearing the CEO’s version, the bench directed the CBA to ensure the protection of greenery and all trees in the park while ensuring that play area facilities are accessible for lower and middle class citizens by making the rates affordable. Advocate Aurangzeb Mughal appeared on behalf of federal government, while Fida Bahadur represented CBA.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 8^th, 2016.