ISLAMABAD, April 5: The Karachi City District Government (CDGK) on Wednesday informed the Supreme Court that it has abandoned its plan to build a multi-storey car parking facility on Jehangir Park grounds.
The court, which had taken notice of a private complaint against the plan, still ordered the city government to refrain from any commercial use of the historic park and to restore it to its past grandeur.
A three-member bench, comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan and Justice Syed Jamshed Ali, also restrained the CDGK from future conversion of this five-acre public park into any commercial activity.
Direction was also issued against the city government to develop the Jehangir Park for public welfare.
The Supreme Court was hearing a suo motu case on a complaint of Ardeshir Cowasjee, who had invited the attention of the apex court towards the city government’s intention to construct a multi-storey plaza for car parking within the premises of the Jehangir Park, donated to the people of Karachi by Khan Bahadur Behramji Jehangirji Raj Kot Wale in 1893.
In his letter, Cowasjee also relied on a recent judgment of the Supreme Court wherein the court has cancelled a lease that the Capital Development Authority awarded to a Lahore businessman for developing a mini golf club in a public park in Islamabad.
On Wednesday Barrister Naeemur Rehman, representing Cowasjee, deplored that the city government had already chopped century old trees in the park and argued that the city administration had no authority to convert the plaza for commercial purposes.
Advocate Manzoor Ahmed, Executive District Officer Karachi, meanwhile, submitted a report before the court stating that the city government had dropped the project of constructing parking facility on a portion of the park in view of serious reservations shown by different non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and an earlier order of this court.
Justifying city government’s earlier decision to develop parking facility, the report said, the administration had decided to build multi-storey car parking plazas at different potential locations in Karachi because of serious traffic congestion due to on-street parking.
Under the first phase of the overall strategy, the local administration had planned for development of parking plazas in five locations namely, Lines Area near Saddar Dawakhana, Clifton near Schon Underpass Faizi Rehman Gallery near Arts Council, Mohammadan Community (Old Burial Ground) near Boulton Market Tonga Stand and portion of the Jehangir Park (Machenzie Pavilion Ground) Saddar.
Since the parking problem is very severe in Saddar area, the city administration has already planned development of parking facility in Lines Area Re-development Project. The portion of the Jehangir Park was earmarked since the parking facility in Lines Area is not sufficient to cater to complete demand of parking, the report said.
However the bench after hearing both sides directed the local administration to restore the park into its original condition and develop it for public welfare.
