RAWALPINDI: In a strange move, the City District Government Rawalpindi (CDGR) has changed the women’s park land along Liaquat Bagh into a garbage transfer station with the opposition political parties in the city terming the move an encroachment on the state land by the state itself.

The women park was constructed in 2005 on two acres of land adjacent to the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) offices and in front of the Rawalpindi Press Club.

But Punjab Chief Secretary Zahid Saeed, who was the metro bus project incharge and the commissioner Rawalpindi in 2014, allowed one of the contractors of the mega project to use the park for dumping the construction materials. The contractor had promised that he would reconstruct the park after completion of the metro bus project.

However, after the completion of the project, the contractor did not fulfil the promise. And strangely, the space was turned into a garbage transfer station with the permission of former district coordination officer Sajid Zafar Dall.

City govt refuses to hand over land back to Parks and Horticulture Authority but promises alternative space

A senior official of CDGR told Dawn that the change of purpose of the park land was raised by PML-N MPA Zaibun Nisa at a meeting held to review the anti-dengue measures. But Commissioner Azmat Mehmood refused to hand over the land back to the Parks and Horticulture Authority and said an alternative space would be provided for the park.

“The CDGR failed to adopt a legal course as the land of a park cannot be used for any other purpose and there is a Supreme Court ruling in this regard,” PML-N former MNA Malik Shakil Awan told Dawn.

He said the CDGR informed the public representatives that an alternative space would be allocated for the residents in Chamnzar Colony but it was not the solution to the problem.

“The local residents are facing foul smell due to the establishment of the garbage transfer station in the middle of the city.”

He said it was the duty of the local MNAs and MPAs to highlight the issue on the floor of the national and provincial assemblies.

“Recreational activities for women in the city are already limited and the act of the CDGR is condemnable. It is against the law that a public park is being used for other purposes,” said former PPP Rawalpindi president Amir Fida Paracha.

PTI local leader Zahid Kazmi said the provincial government spent billion of rupees on metro and orange train projects just to get commission but was reluctant to spend money on the public welfare works.

Asghar Ali, a resident of Arya Mohalla, said it was the only place of recreation for people belonging to the low income areas. He said CDGR officials were paying no heed to the requests for the reconstruction of the park.

Tariq Ahmed, a resident of College Road, said Ayub Park and Jinnah Park were far away from his home while the main Liaquat Bagh was not ideal for women to go there for morning and evening walks.

When contacted, Parks and Horticulture Authority Director General Malik Abid said the issue had been taken up with the local administration but no reply was received. “The purpose of the land reserved for the park would not be changed,” he said.

Published in Dawn, May 17th, 2016