KARACHI: A proposal is under consideration to hand over all Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) parks to private parties for ‘adoption’, without changing their ownership status, sources told Dawn on Monday.

The proposal, the sources said, was recently discussed at a meeting at Governor House where Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad was given a presentation on the subject.

The principal secretary to the governor, KMC administrator, financial adviser, director general technical services and senior KMC director for culture, sports and recreation and others attended the meeting.

According to the sources, there are about 152 parks under the KMC in the city and initially three expressions of interest for three parks would be sought.

The decision, they said, had been taken on account of funds shortage the KMC had been facing for a long time due to which the corporation was unable to look after the parks. Most of the parks were in a poor state, they added.

The other reason, they said, was monetary and the government was aiming at generating revenue by offering parks for ‘adoption’ and allowing them to develop recreational facilities there.

Some private parties, they said, had already approached the government in this regard.

Parks and horticulture director general Asadullah Shah confirmed to Dawn that an adopt-a-park scheme was under consideration and soon EOIs for three parks would be sought.

“Initially, EOIs would be sought for Bagh-i-Ibne Qasim Park, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Park and Beach Avenue Park, from private parties as part of a pilot project. If the government receives a good response, then a decision would be taken to offer more parks for adoption,” he said.

There had been precedents of such an initiative and the few parks earlier adopted by private concerns had shown positive results, he added.

On the terms and conditions for the adoption scheme, he said this would be negotiated with the parties but the ownership status of the parks wouldn’t change.

Speaking to Dawn, environmentalists welcomed the government move with reservations and feared that the decision could lead to commercial activities and encroachment of public spaces.

“This can be a positive development, if the government puts in place strict monitoring checks to see that a park doesn’t turn into a commercial venture.

“The commercial aspect should be limited to a point where the aim is only to recover maintenance expenses,” said senior ecologist and professor at Karachi University’s Institute for Environmental Studies Dr Shamsul Zafar Iqbal.

Public spaces, he said, had assumed greater significance in view of the intense weather conditions Karachi had been experiencing in recent years.

Citing a recent visit to the Aziz Bhatti Park in Gulshan-i-Iqbal, he said he was shocked to see that there were hardly any trees while the government had spent huge amounts on erecting sitting areas.

“The government should make a policy to ensure that parks are largely unpaved areas, are close to nature and have plantation of indigenous plants and trees,” he said, adding that unpaved areas helped in recharging of underground water.

Referring to Aladin Park, Farhan Anwar representing the Sustainable Initiatives said: “It started off as a park but later we saw that a shopping mall was developed there. And, it’s not just the government, such ‘tendencies’ have been demonstrated by other organisations, too.”

He also highlighted the importance of making sure that facilities developed for recreational activities were safe for children. He added that the amusement park developed inside the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Park fell into neglect within a month of its opening.

Published in Dawn, November 10th, 2015