Musharraf regime established dozens of new parks along with libraries and gyms for the general public in the federal capital, but CDA’s indifferent attitude towards these public interest facilities is gradually resulting in their decline
The libraries, gyms and parks are in a miserable condition in the capital. Many libraries suffer from a scarcity of books while gyms are either closed or the equipment is rusty and unusable.
During 2000’s the campaign to ‘beautify’ capital was initiated by then President and spearheaded by then Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman Kamran Lashari. During their tenure new parks were made, restaurants and hotels were constructed on Peer Sohawa which on top of Margalla Hills and new roads and flyovers were built all across the city. Many new sectors were developed on the fringes of Islamabad.
The gym at sector G-11 and G-7 have long been closed. The picture of gyms in other sectors is no different either. The younger lot, when the gyms were newly opened and the machinery was functional, used to regularly visit the facility. But since the better days are long past, the youth now opt for private gyms.
In the beginning, the older lot used to frequent the library to read newspapers and have a chat in the adjacent open air sitting area, whereas now only a few readers can be found in the libraries. The lack of washrooms and other basic amenities at many libraries deter the elderly populace from visiting the libraries.
Unlike gyms, the libraries do open quite regularly but their timings have been cut short by three hours. According to National Library’s website, the timing is from 8am in the morning to 7pm in the evening. However, many libraries close around long before the prescribed time.
Every sector in Islamabad boasts of multiple parks. There are separate parks for children, ladies and senior citizens. There are community parks that have football ground, tennis court, basketball court, outdoor gyms and running tracks. Many of these parks are in a derelict condition. The nets are missing, the partitions are nowhere in sight, there is ugly graffiti all over the place and at night there is no electricity in and around the parks.
Since CDA has no official spokesperson presently and things are in a flux at CDA and Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC), therefore, no comment was available.