KARACHI, July 8: The survey and demarcation work to convert Gutter Baghicha into a park will be undertaken within 15 days.
This decision was taken at a meeting held at the new Sindh secretariat with Chief Secretary Dr Mutawaakil Kazi in the chair. The meeting was attended by City Nazim Naimatullah Khan, IGP Kamal Shah, DCO Mir Hussain Ali, Nazim SITE Amir Nawab, EDO revenue Muhammad Hussain Syed, Deputy Secretary Naukhez Siddiqui, DO parks Hanif Nasir, TPO SITE Imran Shaukat, representatives of Shehri, Ms Ambar Ali Bhai, Nisar Baloch, Tahir Swati and Khateeb Ahmed.
The chief secretary took notice of the delay in the development of a park at the Gutter Baghicha for which the city government had apportioned one million rupees in the budget last year; the amount stands lapsed. The chief secretary also formed a committee to remove bottlenecks in coordination with NGOs.
The committee will also assist the city government in raising the funds from donors
Gutter Baghicha originally spread over 1016 acres. Its boundaries in the West used to be old Golimar, Haroonabad and Jahanabad in the East, Site in the North and Mewashah Graveyard in the South.
In its premises a government primary school was also built in 1923 with the name of Bunde Ali Makki School for children of the farmers in the vicinity.
With the falling of the locality in the midst of commercial area, the land mafia in collision with police encroached a large part of it where factories and other financial interests were created. At present only 430 acres are available as open space for developing it into a park. Till 1993 the park used to be under the jurisdiction of the defunct Karachi Metropolitan Corporation.
According to informed sources, the EDO revenue has asked the authorities to provide protection as he has no faith in the police force who failed to come to his rescue.
The NGO representatives said that if proper steps were not taken to secure the open space by handing over the Gutter Baghicha to the army or the rangers, the possibility of further slicing of the open space by land-grabbers could not be ruled out.
They also urged provision in the park design for plots after the removal of the encroachment under litigation.
