Altaf Park - Jhelum city's sole recreational park and a popular place for families to spend quality time - is closed for public for the past four years.
However, the residents may soon be able to return to their favourite spot as the administration has taken the initiative to renovate the park.
Jhelum Deputy Commissioner Noman Hafeez told The Express Tribune that the World Bank has agreed to fund the project at a cost of Rs10 million and they have sent them the map for approval. “Work will start on the project as soon as the map is approved,” he claimed.
Earlier, a contract was awarded to a contractor named Bashir. However, the contractor failed to manage the park possibly due to a tussle with the management.
Late Governor Punjab Chaudhry Altaf Hussain had built this beautiful park for the people of Jhelum during his tenure and this facility had been a source of recreational activities for people of Jhelum for some time.
However, due to the inattention of the management, the park now presents a derelict picture. MNA Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf Farrukh Altaf, the son of late Punjab Governor Chaudhry Altaf Hussain, also did not pay attention to the issue, leading the park to be further neglected.
Currently, there is no park in the city where citizens can bring their children in the evenings and summer has already started.
Talking to The Express Tribune, a resident of Jhelum, Kamran Faisal, said that in the past they used to come to the park once a week with their children. “Young men and women would come for evening walks, but now there is no other place where they could go for walks.”
Another resident, Muneeza Shams, said that it is a shame that the public representatives of Jhelum city were hardly paying any attention to the already existing park.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 25th, 2022.
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