LAHORE – The Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) is likely to develop a 1,000-kanal park in Johar Town while 14 playgrounds will be developed in various other localities especially the less-privileged ones, Pakistan Today has learnt.
The action plan would also rehabilitate playgrounds and parks, which have been left unattended and neglected.
PHA authorities claim that the proposed plan would change the city’s landscape. The PHA already controls around 1,139 big and small parks. Under the new plan, which the PHA would roll into action, around 14 playgrounds would be developed including one at TEVTA parks, Shahdara and near a petrol pump at Shahdara, near the Ghora Hospital, Shahdara, at D-I Block Gujjarpura, D-Block Sabzazar Scheme, near the Ittefaq Hospital, Model Town, at D-II Block Johar Town, E-Block Gulshan-e-Ravi, Kashmir Block Allama Iqbal Town, Mehran Block Allama Iqbal Town, Chenab Block Allama Iqbal Town and at the new Chuburgi Township.
Three parks including a ladies park would be developed at the D-I Sector Green Town and Railway Line at the Qazi Park Shahdara Town near Emperor Jahangir’s tomb. The PHA would also install state-of-art facilities at the Johar Town park. International consultants from Singapore and Malaysia would be hired to make the park as a model park. In order to monitor the action plan, the authority would initiate a project to get all its data computerised.
The data regarding strength of staff, available apparatus, status of completed and on-going projects, earmarked funds and their utilisation in various heads, future projects, enquiries, performance report and other miscellaneous information would be computerised very soon. Under this programme, data would be available to all offices of the authority and the general public would have access to such data to ensure transparency.
According to PHA sources, the authority was committed to realizing the dream of transforming the city into a hub of playgrounds and parks under the vision of the Punjab CM. They said that the PHA had executed this plan and teams of gardeners had been constituted while they have also started their work. The PHA has banned all functions at 1,139 parks to improve their condition, sources said.
According to sources, Lahore would be named as “Lahore Garden City” and public-private partnership (PPP) would be encouraged to ensure maintenance of parks. They said that the process of restructuring the PHA had been started and the departments of maintenance and development would be separated. He said that 5,000 gardens would be optimised to materialise the new vision of PHA.
Lahore, known for its greenery, is fast losing playgrounds and parks over the last two decades because of their excessive use for commercial activities. Two main playgrounds, used for playing cricket, have been replaced by multi-storey buildings of the Punjab Assembly and the MPAs Hostel. On a ground, known as the Scouts Ground in the Railways Colony, flats have been built.
The Waris Road ground in Mozang is also in a state of dismay. Presently, the ground is being used for wedding functions instead of sports. Likewise, the Mochi Gate ground, also used for sports where many test cricketers used to play, is in a state of neglect and the WAPDA Town ground is being used for Sunday Bazaars.
The Green Town ground is also being used for Sunday Bazaars while grounds in Gulberg have vanished with the passage of time. The Township playground turned into a dumping place for solid waste generated by marble cutters operating in nearby residential societies.
