RAWALPINDI: Two centuries-old parks in the city have lost substantial parts of their land for the beautification of The Mall.

The Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) started utilising 25 per cent of the total area of Shah Baloot and Roomi parks as the greenbelts for the road.

“In future, the greenbelts can be used for the expansion of the road,” a senior official of the RCB told Dawn. Shah Baloot Park is part of more than six acres of property owned by the Lansdowne Trust founded in 1891 by two brothers - Sardar Kirpal Singh Rai Bahadur and Sardar Sujan Singh Rai Bahadur.

These well-known figures donated the land for the establishment of a library, park and cinema. The trust was named after India’s viceroy (1884-94) Lord Henry Petty Fitzmaurice, V. Marquees of Lansdowne.

The park remained a victim of urban development in the past. The original size of the park, known for its pine trees, was reduced after the RCB established a facilitation centre there in 2010.

The Roomi Park, located opposite the Military Hospital, was established in 1903 by the British Army in memory of their commander General Sir William Stephen Alexander Lockhart, who died in Calcutta on March 8, 1900.

A tomb was also raised in the park to remember the general on the orders of the then commander-in-chief of the British Army in India.

After the creation of Pakistan, the RCB was entrusted with the task to maintain the park. The park was renamed as Dilkusha Park and later as Roomi Park. However, it was also known as Teen Kona Park among the citizens.

A swimming pool was also part of the park. But as the park was located near the residences of senior military officers, the RCB closed the swimming pool due to security concerns about six years back.

The park remained popular among the residents for its colourful plants, especially red roses, shady trees, beautifully carved-out lawns and flowerbeds. It also provided the residents with a popular jogging track.

Farzand Ali, a regular visitor to the Roomi Park, said: “In a few months, the civic body will turn the whole park into a greenbelt as it is on the middle of two main roads,” he said.

He criticised the attitude of the RCB and said its officials were paying no heed to improve the condition of the park.

Another visitor, Rafique Ahmed, said Ayub Park and Jinnah Park were far away from his home so he usually took his family to the Roomi Park.

When contacted, RCB Cantonment Executive Officer Fahim Zafar Khan said the status of the parks would not be changed due to the new development. “We are establishing a green area along The Mall for the beautification of the road. The road users will soon see flowerbeds throughout the year,” he said.

In reply to a question, he said there was no plan to develop more greenbelts along the road.