Daily Times

KARACHI: Local Government Department (LGD) Sindh has decided in principle to takeover control of five prime parks in Karachi

Bagh-Ibne-Qasim Park (127-acre), Beach Park (18-acre), Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Park (47-acre), Jahangir Park (22-acre) and Frere Hall Park (20-acre) are the recreational sites where KMC has utterly failed to maintain and to bring further development. In a major development LGD has started uplift of Jahangir Park in Saddar after removal of illegal encroachments on the directives of Sindh High Court.

Sindh Minister for LGD, Jam Khan Shoro while confirming the move has said that “the step has been taken due to inefficiency and poor management of these parks by Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC)”.

After completion of Jahangir Park project, LGD is of the view that to run the affairs of the park, the responsibility should be shared on Public Private Partnership (PPP) basis.

Bagh-Ibne-Qasim Clifton, located adjacent to ‘Icon Tower’ of Bahria Town, remained abandoned on pretext of looking after for 8 years would be handed over to Bahria Town on request of Malik Riaz, Chief Executive, Bahria Town.

It is expected that this project would be handed over officially at a ceremony to be held sometimes in a week, officials of LGD informed. However, it is not clear that upon completion of development work who will take custody of the park, LGD or Bahria Town.

A portion of this site is said to be built on the pattern of Disney Land Singapore, officials LGD revealed.

It is pertinent to mention that Bagh-Ibne-Qasim was developed during former President Pervez Musharraf at a cost of one billion rupees and a portion of parking area has also been given to Bahria Town for building an underpass.

The other parks LGD working on are Beach Park, Frere Hall Park and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Park on PPP basis.

Earlier, Parks and Horticulture Department of KMC had 162 public parks and after taking control of parks by Karachi Development Authority and six District Municipal Corporations under a legal procedure, KMC has only 37 parks in city.