RAWALPINDI: Parks and Horticultural Agency (PHA) has started work to beautify the city. The agency is collaborating with the students of National College of the Arts (NCA) and Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU) to paint the walls along the main roads of the city.

In the first phase, the agency worked on the walls of Government Degree College for Boys Satellite Town on Siddiqui Chowk and the walls around Benazir Bhutto International Airport.

It plans to start work on the roads in the inner city areas as well as link roads along Murree Road, especially Rawal Road.

However, the main work of beautification will start after completion of the metro bus project.

Citizens claim that PHA is only focusing on high profile areas and ignoring the main city

From next month, the PHA intends to install statues and paint landscapes at Marrir Bridge to present the culture of the four provinces along with Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Previously, landscapes were drawn on Marrir Railway Bridge and the Committee Chowk underpass; however, due to development work on metro bus project, the art works had to be removed.

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The residents, however, believe that the administration should work on Fawara Chowk in Raja Bazaar, which is quite a prominent place and is dilapidating with time.

“Fawara Chowk needs a makeover, but the PHA is busy painting walls of the government buildings. It should improve the condition of the main square,” said Ashar Ali, a resident of Mohanpura.

Imran Akbar, a resident of Nanakpura, claimed that the beautification of roads was limited to civil lines and Satellite Town areas, where civil bureaucracy and local politicians live, while the main city areas are ignored.

“The metro bus project was launched on Murree Road, but the local administration is paying no heed to development work in the inner city,” he added.

PHA Managing Director Akram Soban told Dawn that the agency was working for the beautification of the roads and development of green belts in the city, without any discrimination.

The authority launched the landscaping work on the walls of Sixth Road, he said, with the help of NCA and FJWU students. He stressed the importance of keeping the road along the airport clean, as it is the first impression of the country for foreign visitors.

He further added that the PHA had started to improve conditions of the inner city too, adding that work on Fawara Chowk and other important areas would be launched soon.

He said the greenbelts and parks would be improved in the coming days for the provision of recreational facilities to the people of the city areas.

He said Rs150 million had been allocated for Civil Aviation Park, Rs130 million for a swimming pool at Chandni Chowk and the construction of a cricket stadium at Degree College for Women, Sixth Road.

Work on Murree Road will begin after the completion of metro bus project, he added.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2014