KARACHI, Sept 6: Work on construction of a model park at Gutter Baghicha park has failed to take off.
Two months back, the chief secretary had issued directives for initiating work after its survey.
However, during the last month’s cleanliness drive, the land of Baghicha has been turned into a garbage dumping ground where tonnes of refuse collected from different parts was piled up.
The CS had issued directives for the survey of the park after decisions taken at a meeting held on July 7 last to review the implementation of President’s directives for the establishment of a model pak at the Gutter Baghicha land in Pak Colony.
By another decision, the DCO was asked to furnish a comprehensive report to the chief secretary on the issue pertaining to allotment of land to the KMC Officers Cooperative Housing Society within two weeks.
A detailed survey of all lands of the Baghicha was carried out by a joint team, comprising representatives of the CDGK, Survey Department and Shehri as per decision but work is yet to start.
Meanwhile, the authorities concerned, instead of checking the misuse of the land and facilitating the demarcation work, have allowed the garbage dumping. Waste from the nearby marble factories adds to the hundreds of tons of garbage that has been dumped in the Baghicha during the drive for cleanliness last month.
According to an NGO representative, Nisar Baloch, some officials of the city government were using delaying tactics to implement the directive to protect their “illegal self-allotment of 200 acres cut out from the amenity plot”.
He said that already the anti-corruption Committee No-1 was seized with the issue and had directed the DCO on June 2, 2003, to register a case against M/s (i) Allauddin Sabir, the then municipal commissioner and (ii) Syed Tanveer Abbas Naqvi, the then senior director Land & Estate KMC, Karachi. Administrative department should cancel the allotment of land and ensure compliance of a report”.
