Parks to be freed from land grabbers: Wahab

Karachi administrator says three encroached parks rehabilitated

KARACHI:

Parks and playgrounds will be freed from the clutches of land mafia, Karachi Administrator Murtaza Wahab said on Monday.

"All the parks and playgrounds of the city are property of the people of Karachi," the administrator said at the inauguration of Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan Park in Clifton area of Karachi.

"In recognition of the services rendered to the nation by renowned nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, the park in Clifton has been named after him. Clifton Block 2 residents will have access to quality recreational facilities at this park," Wahab said. He was accompanied by Karachi Water and Sewerage Board Vice Chairman and PPP leader Najmi Alam, General Secretary South District Karamullah Waqasi, Imran Brohi, Administrator South Karachi D. Afshan Rubab Syed, Municipal Commissioner Akhtar Sheikh and other officials.

The Administrator Karachi also inaugurated the Senior Citizen Family Park and Gabriel Park Saddar located in Clifton.

All three parks have been renovated and restored by the District Municipal Corporation South. Wahab said that till a few months ago, these parks depicted dumping points and they were occupied by land mafia.

"We ended the occupation of these open spaces and within a few months the same area was turned into a beautiful parks and playgrounds where gaming facility has also been arranged for children so that they have a suitable place to play," he added.

He said there were no new resources or funds for it, the only difference was intention. He said that residents of the area were in great distress but now the roads were also built around it. The Administrator said that some people ask why the KMC is renovating the parks. He said that in the master plan of Karachi every area was better designed but later, different areas were commercialized which affected the planning.

Read More: Parks to be built on state land freed from encroacher

"Parks and playgrounds were captured, leaving the city in a state of disrepair and depriving people of entertainment," said Barrister Murtaza Wahab.

He said that rehabilitation work of parks and playgrounds has been started in different districts of Karachi keeping in view the need of citizens.

He added that at the same time the basic infrastructure of the city including roads is also being constructed and repaired. "We are constructing roads in Malir 15, Kalaboard, Lyari and other areas, which will facilitate the movement of citizens," the administrator said.

He said that a tree planting campaign is also underway to make Karachi green and environmentally friendly, under which traditional shade trees will be planted in open spaces and along roadsides in different districts of the city.

He said those arrangements for tree planting and their protection and irrigation has also been done. He said that various measures are taken to make the world's largest and most industrialized cities environmentally friendly, adding that Karachi is one of the biggest cities of the world and the same measures are being taken here too.

"The plants planted in the city will enhance the beauty of different areas by taking the shape of shady trees in future," he said and added that civic amenities are being provided on better and modern lines, the fruits of which have been reaped by the citizens.

Wahab said that 15,000 to 20,000 people visit People's Square located in the middle of the city with their families on holiday.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8^th, 2022.