GUJRAT: The Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) has planned to establish a Parks and Horticulture Cell for the maintenance of parks, greenbelts and median plantation along major roads of the city, and funds are being sought from the Punjab government for the purpose.

Official sources said the Gujrat TMA had been preparing proposal documents for allocation of funds by the Punjab government for the cell on the pattern of Lahore and Islamabad on the special directions of District Coordination Officer Liaquat Ali Chattha.

Initially, it was being deliberated that a separate parks and horticulture authority could be established here.

However, due to legal and financial constraints, it had now been decided to develop a special cell in the TMA and provincial government had been asked to provide at least Rs40 million as the initial cost of the project for the purchase of necessary machinery, equipments, vehicles and recruitment of human resource.

According to the proposal to be sent to the provincial government, at least 150 officials, including deputy director, sub-engineer, gardeners and other staff, were required with allocation of Rs2.5 million annually for salaries.

The provincial government had been pressing the Gujrat district administration for long to develop greenbelts along the GT Road passing through the city and other major roads besides rehabilitation and renovation of the existing public parks -- Nawaz Sharif Park, Ladies and Children Park and Anayat Park.

Right now, the parks painted a picture of neglect, however a greenbelt was being developed by the administration along the 14km portion of the GT Road with the help of the local business community.

Patch work would also be done along the road.

Additional District Collector Farooq Rasheed told Dawn that though the TMA had been looking after parks, but it had become difficult due to shortage of staff and proper mechanism of maintenance.

Parks required separate staff along with appropriate machinery that was why the provincial government was being persuaded to allocate funds for making Gujrat a green city.