Daily Times

KARACHI: On the directives of Local Government Department (LGD) Sindh, finally Karachi Development Authority (KDA) has taken over the charge of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Park, built on 47 acres of land, in Clifton.

Nasir Abbas, Director General, KDA has informed that decision was taken on January 2017 but the delay over taking control of the Park was due to standoff between the two civic entities over the right to control the park administration.

It has been a controversial issue between KDA and Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) as the later has been trying to recapture the physical possession of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Park at Boat Basin.

“We have deputed the officials in the first phase to take over the charge of the Park and in the meantime time, we would take other necessary measures to change this site a worth for good park-deprived citizens of Karachi, Abbas said adding “this green site has always been rested with KDA as our entity owns the land and we will try to make this site a better choice for visitors”.

According to a notification issued Muhammad Ramzan Awan, Secretary LGD Sindh with the approval of competent authority, Chief Minister Sindh, it has been decided that function of maintenance of any public park(s) garden(s) may be taken over by the government from any council for assigning maintenance of such park, garden to any national company or multinational company on prescribed terms and conditions.

Officials of KMC were of the view that LGD can handover any park or garden to council of the civic bodies and there is no provision in the Act to hand over such sites to a government department.

Meanwhile, Sindh government has constituted a 3-member committee of LGD headed by Ghulam Abbas Detho, additional secretary, to initiate an inquiry into the incident of demolishing of the Park boundary wall and ascertain financial loss to the government exchequer.

In a notification, Sindh government has suspended the services of DG Park, senior director encroachment cell and deputy director parks of KMC. Inquiry would be initiated against them.