The Lake View management is violating CDA’s ban on boating as the businessmen are renting out their boats to visitors since Section 144 was imposed by the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration last year.
Section 144 was imposed by the administration after an incident which too two lives during Eid days. During Eid days, the management had not even bothered to question the private boaters. During a visit to Lake View, it was observed by this scribe that the management had allegedly removed the word ‘Kashti’ in the caution installed inside the park, ‘Yahan Kashti Chalana Mana Hey’. Resultantly, visitors can only see, ‘Yahan Rani Chalana Mana Hey’ which does not make sense, therefore, they ignore and enjoy boating.
Another big issue faced by the visitors is that they have to pay separate for car parking, then main gate entry, then Rs 100 per person for entry in main [open] cage of birds, then for rides and swings and then at last left with no option but to purchase the substandard and hygienic food on double-triple prices.
Vendors claimed that they were paying bribe to the management to install the stalls therefore food and [illegitimate] high rent cost them. However, it may be mentioned here that in 2013, on the directions of IHC, the Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA) and environment wing of Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad [Then under CDA] has cancelled all leases and licenses of stalls, kiosks, and hawkers and all the stalls managed stay orders and till now, they are not paying a single penny to the authority and national exchequer.
It is noted that boating in Rawal Lake is one of the main attractions of the Lake View Park and it is a popular activity but hundreds of lives are endangered as no safety measures have been taken.
Instead of ensuring safety regulations, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has imposed a ban on the activity, which is openly breached by the boatmen.
Curiously, there is no safeguard deployed there to save the lives in case of any emergency and untoward incident.
Then CDA in order to end unsafe boating and implement ban has installed barbed wires to disassociate the boating area from the rest of the park.
According to the CDA employees deployed within the premises of park, there have been several incidences of people drowning in the lake while swimming, but despite this people continue to swim in the lake and no lifeguards have been deployed for safety.
When contacted, CDA spokesman Mazhar Hussain said that if boating is still continued in the Lake View Park despite ban then strict action would be taken against the violators and those who kept their eyes close over the sensitive matter. ‘This matter would be brought in the knowledge of high-ups and the authority will maintain its writ’, he added.