Ongoing food festival: KMC, Sindh govt at odds over use of Frere Hall

Notification prohibits use of parks for private events

KARACHI: The ongoing Karachi Eat Festival 2017 may have fulfilled hunger pangs of residents but the choice of venue seems to have caused a stir between the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and the Sindh government.

Frere Hall garderns, which fall under the administrative control of the KMC, are hosting the city's annual food festival but it appears that the permission granted to the organisers may be illegal.

According to a notification from the Sindh government's services and general administration department issued on November 23, 1998, there is a ban on the use of public parks and gardens falling within the administrative control of the KMC or the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) for private events.

"It has come to the knowledge of the officials that parks and gardens falling within the administrative control of the KMC and KDA or any other civic body are being hired and used for weddings and other events in spite of the ban," read the notification. It added that under no circumstances will permission to use public parks and gardens be granted for private functions.

However, KMC's senior director of sports, culture and recreation, Saif Abbas, insisted the notification has no legal standing now as the KMC's city council had passed a resolution later that allowed Frere Hall gardens to be used for such festivals.

This is not the first time a festival is taking place at Frere Hall. "It has become a routine for the Frere Hall management to hold such festivals in the interest of the public," he said. From the three-day Karachi Eat Festival, he said that the already cash-starved KMC has earned Rs1.5 million and it is good to see people arriving at the festival in hoards.

For the beauty and greenery of Frere Hall, he said that the management of the festival, as well as the KMC will protect it.

Meanwhile, a senior KMC official, who requested anonymity, claimed that KMC's city council resolution has no legal value in front of the government notification. Even for the resolution, the official said that it is clearly mentioned that only the paved portion of Frere Hall and a very small portion of the lawn can be used for commercial purposes, and that too for rent worth Rs0.5 million per day to the KMC.

"The way Frere Hall is being used for the Karachi Eat Festival is a sheer violation of the notification and even the KMC's resolution," said the official.

On the other hand, Karachi Eat Festival's public relations company, Latitude CRS's publicist, Ali Chaudhry denied reports of obtaining permission from KMC illegally. "The Karachi commissioner and KMC are very much our partners in this event," he said. Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar himself came to inaugurate the festival, he added.

However, Akhtar admitted to television media that there was some negligence on part of the KMC when it granted permission for this festival to go beyond the pavement portion.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 22^nd, 2017.