CDA using old methods for cutting grass despite having resources

Despite having all the resources, the workers of Capital Development Authority (CDA)’s Environment Wing are still using the same old-traditional methods to cut the overgrown grass and wild bushes in parks of the federal capital.

The survey conducted by Pakistan Today revealed that the civic body’s workers could be seen in parks and elsewhere in the capital early in the morning carrying look hook, swords, scythes and shovels to cut the overgrown grass, wild bushes and shrubs in parks and along the roadsides, instead of using modern machineries.

The wild bushes grown in the parks gave a look of a forest, while the grass has covered the benches, which speak volumes about the negligence and apathy of the civic body.

Owing to the use of the same-old techniques by the workers of city body, the situation of the parks of the federal capital could not be improved, said Shahid Hussain, a regular jogger at the park.

He said that the people come for morning walks in the parks, but the jogging treks in all parks are mostly covered by the overgrown grass and wild bushes due to which they have to face great problems.

Jawad Ahmed said that Pakistan is purchasing all sort of equipments from China, so the state-of-the-art machineries being used for cutting the plants, overgrown grass and wild bushes should also be purchased.

He questions as to why the authority is hesitant to equip the labors with modern technologies and said that it shows the concerned authority ill-will nothing else.

Fahim Akhter said that the removal of wild bushes and grass grown as result of recent monsoon season could not be easy with these traditional equipments such as hook, swords, scythes and shovels what to talk of the broken swings, lights and benches.

He said that wild bushes and shrubs not only disturb the natural beauty of Islamabad but also provide potential breeding sites for the growth of dengue larva, so these should be removed on a priority basis.

A CDA worker carrying scythe told Pakistan Today that the authority concerned did not equip them with modern machineries due to which they had to do all the hard works manually despite the harsh weather conditions in summer and winter.

A senior official in the environment wing told Pakistan Today on condition of anonymity that the authority is well-aware of the need of modern technology, but thousands of people have been inducted in the authority unnecessarily over the years, so it is difficult to equip every employee with modern technologies.

When contacted, CDA spokesperson Ramzan Sajid told Pakistan Today that revolutionary changes could be seen in various departments of the authority, as now modern machineries have been used in sanitation along with some other departments. He hoped that improvement would be felt in environment wing of the authority when the workers of the wing would be equipped with state-of-the-art machineries.