Adopt a park, save a public space

CCI, MNCs to manage Sukkur's public parks instead of city's municipal corporation

SUKKUR: The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI), Sukkur, in collaboration with multinational companies, will adopt the public parks of Sukkur, as the city's municipal corporation has failed to maintain them.

This was decided at a meeting chaired by the Sukkur commissioner , Muhammad Abbas Baloch, at his office. Representatives of the CCI and the multinational companies attended the meeting. Earlier, a public park on Military Road was handed over to a multinational company, which according to the commissioner is managing the park very well.

In the past, there were three parks in Sukkur, Locus Park (now renamed Muhammad Bin Qasim Park), Ghazi Abdul Rasheed Park and Latif Park. Ghazi Abdul Rasheed Park was allotted to an Islamic organisation, Tanzeem-e-Fikr-o-Nazar, which, besides running a seminary, had also established a school on the plot. Dozens of shops have also been constructed as a permanent source of income for the seminary and mosque.

The remaining two parks come under the domain of the Sukkur Municipal Corporation but, since the civic body is short of funds, it has failed to maintain them and resultantly, both the parks are in shambles. Another place developed as a recreation spot is the Lab-e-Mehran Park, which is situated on the right bank of the Indus, near the Sukkur Barrage, and has a walking track near Circuit House. Due to the civic body's lack of interest, these places, instead of providing recreation for families, have become a source of nuisance due to the presence of an overwhelmingly large number of boys and men.

During the meeting, the commissioner asked the CCI and multinational companies to take over the public parks and make them family-oriented. The CCI and the multinationals have expressed their eagerness to take over the parks and their maintenance.

Baloch, speaking to The Express Tribune, said that there is no recreational area in Sukkur other than these parks and therefore it is his desire to provide a good recreation facility to the citizens.

CCI president Din Muhammad speaking to The Express Tribune said that they were ready to shoulder this responsibility. He said that not all of the city's residents could afford to go to hotels with their families and the alternative of visiting a park is very affordable.

Giving an example of the park on Military Road, he said the company had made good lighting and hygiene arrangements and one of the park's key features is that only families are allowed to visit. Recalling the Sukkur of the 70s, he said that parks, roads and other facilities were very good then, but now everything has been ruined.

It is good that we are getting a chance to serve the citizens, while keeping the remaining public parks safe from the land mafia, he remarked.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 28^th, 2015.