ISLAMABAD: As the capital of the country, Islamabad remains the focus of local and foreign tourists, but unfortunately, the city fathers have leased every single area, including grounds, parks and spots at hilly areas to the private contractors who are charging a fee for entry, parking and swings.
The tourists are forced to purchase substandard food from ‘illegally installed’ stalls, hawkers, and kiosks at high prices, it has been learnt.
Islamabad has 200 public parks, and 11 of which are attracting people, who regularly visit it for holidays and special events. However, after the out-sourcing of these venues, the contractors have left them in dilapidated conditions with no arrangement to clean the places for visitors.
Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation Chief and CDA Member Planning Asad Mehboob Kayani, said that civic management has no role in ticket charging, “Once the authority leased out the premises of parks like Lake View, then private contractors look after the matters. After leasing the premises, CDA has the role of sanitation, and to keep the park clean for visitors. However, there is a mechanism under which the contractors charge visitors for entry, swings and more,” he said, adding that the authority had cancelled the contract of parking at Faisal Mosque, but did not whether the authority has again tendered it or not.
He further said that there should be check and balance on the selling of substandard food at high prices.
At Lake View Park, contractors are charging Rs 20 per person for entry, Rs 20 for parking, Rs 50 for travelling through small-train, Rs 100 for entry in bird’s open cage, Rs 100 for horse riding, Rs 100 for small swings and Rs 800 for bike riding.
Similarly, contractors at Marghzar Zoo, Play Land, Saidpur village, Damn-e-Koh, Pir-Sohawa (Monal), Faisal Mosque, Lok Virsa, Shakar Parian, Pakistan Monument, Pakistan Museum of Natural History (PMNH), Fatima Jinnah Park, F-9, are practicing the same trend, which needs attention of the concerned authority.
Curiously, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) had also leased the spot at Faisal Mosque where the contractor has been charging Rs 20 from every single vehicle; people had to pay five times a day. There were also shoe-holders who charged Rs 10 for a pair.
When contacted, CDA’s spokesperson Mazhar Hussain said that the authority, after leasing the premises or after a contract with private companies, keeps checks and balances. Though there is a complaint cell, if anyone wants to lodge a complaint regarding any inconvenience or irregularity pertaining to a contractor who is charging too high can easily approach the authority higher ups so that prompt action would be taken against the violators, he said.
