Picnic spots remain the centre of attention

Thousands including women and children thronged the parks in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad on Sunday to celebrate Eid.
The government had announced four Eid holidays this year, which provided great opportunity for recreation.
After spending the first day of Eid slaughtering animals and greeting relatives, citizens headed to numerous parks like Public Park Rawalpindi, Ayub National Park, Family Park Commercial Market and Jinnah Park on the second day of Eid. Children enjoyed playing on swings while adults took long relaxing walks in the parks. School children were free to fully enjoy Eid holidays, as all schools would open again on Wednesday after Eid holidays. However, people complained about the lack of facilities in parks and high rates of edibles at canteens and cafeterias as well. They were also irked about having to pay extra money for parking facilities in most parks.
They were of the view that the government should make entry to all parks with parking facilities free, and prices of all items at the canteens should be checked and controlled by the authorities, so that people could enjoy.
In the federal capital, Shakarparian and the National Monument were busy resorts after Fatima Jinnah Park (F-9 Park), Rawal Lake Park, Daman-e-Koh and Faisal Mosque where thousands of people including men, women and children visited and enjoyed Eid.
Rawal Dam Park that was beautified and restored recently, was another site of attraction for, specially the children and youth. A large number of people were seen travelling to Murree Hills to enjoy Eid celebrations.
Another busy recreational place in Islamabad was the city zoo and the adjacent children’s park (Japanese Park) also attracted a large number of people.
Families visiting the parks complained that over charging, the sale of substandard food items and non-availability of quality products were main causes of concern. Vendors had taken full benefit of the situation, as concerned authorities had failed to control the quality and rates of commodities.
“We were being robbed off our Eidis at the zoo,” said Talha, a ten-year old boy.
The rates of chips, biscuits, burgers, soft drinks, mineral water and other items were twice the market rates in parks. People also complained about Auto Teller Machines (ATMs) of various banks, which remained out of order during Eid holidays creating hardships for people.Fruit and vegetable sellers also charged exorbitant rates on the eve of Eid-ul-Azha.