ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Parking fee for capital city’s largest public park has been increased by more than 300 percent and the citizens visiting the park have decried this rise in fee.
Fatima Jinnah Park, popularly known as F-9 Park, is spread over an area of 760 acres with jogging tracks and children amusement areas as it main features. This park is maintained and managed by Directorate of Parks under the supervision of Capital development Authority (CDA) Environment Directorate director general.
A large number of visitors come to F-9 Park daily and park their vehicles in its different parking areas adjacent to its four gates.
Regular visitors of the park have protested the sudden 300 percent increase in the parking fee by CDA and has demanded rollback of the increased fee to the previous one.
Junaid Alam, 62, who is regular visitor of this Park since 1982, told Pakistan Today that before June, the parking fee was only Rs6 which has been increased by CDA to Rs 20 now. He said that the regular visitors like him were surprised over this rise and said he could not understand under what moral grounds and under which legal provisions, CDA has approved this increase.
Another visitor, Zeeshan, 32, also showed his displeasure over the rise and demanded the reversal of the fee. He also complained of the parking staff which allegedly misbehaved with the visitors when they protest the increase in the fee.
An officer available in Directorate of Parks situated at Mehran Gate of Fatima Jinnah Park defended the rise and said the contract of the parking area has been awarded after competitive bidding and there was no favouritism involved in it.
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