Poor maintenance of Lahore parks

PHA had deployed a brigade of workers to keep the park clean and beautiful but their services could hardly be spotted.

Enjoying a picnic with family and friends has a charm of its own. The pleasure increases manifold if the picnic spot has plenty of lush green fields, blossoming flowers, a lake, fountains and tall trees. Cleanliness is another important prerequisite, of course.

Lahore has a number of parks for picnics like the Race Course, Jallo and Gulshan-i-Iqbal. The Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) was established in the city in 1998 with the mission statement: ‘make the city clean, bright and clean’. As of now, the PHA manages and maintains more than 500 parks within the city.

Last week, my family and I visited the Gulshan-i-Iqbal Park. As the children were exhausted after exams and wanted some enjoyment, we decided that a trip to the park would do well. Unfortunately, I discovered that the park’s maintenance had been neglected by the administration. The pavement was in a shambles as dents marred every surface of the track.

No cleanliness measures were taken as there were wrappers and plastic bags everywhere. Dustbins were not in the picture at all. Swings were in a dilapidated condition. Iron chains, seats and even top rods were missing, causing much disappointment to the children. The stairs, adjacent to the slides, were without protective steel rods. The park had uneven and poorly maintained grass. Furthermore, toilets were in bad condition. Provision of potable water at the park was simply out of the question. Fences were found broken at many places, flower beds were seen empty and benches were broken. Tree branches were not properly trimmed.

Although the PHA had deployed a brigade of sweepers, sanitary workers and gardeners to keep the park clean and beautiful but their services could hardly be spotted. The question arises: is the PHA established to maintain only the Race Course grounds where gentry visit? Or tend to the beautification and cleanliness of roads leading to leaders’ residences? Where is the common man to go for a simple picnic?

Published in The Express Tribune, April 11^th, 2014.