ISLAMABAD: Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Wednesday declined to hand over a portion of 20 acres of land, where Marghazar Zoo was located, to the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB).

The civic body, however, signed an agreement with IWMB at a ceremony on Wednesday under which it will transfer other facilities of the zoo to the board for operations and management.

The IWMB chairperson criticised the civic agency for not handing over the 20 acres of land that would restrict the board’s ability to develop the zoo and provide additional facilities to animals and animal lovers.

CDA Chairman Amer Ali Ahmed himself did not turn up at the signing ceremony, which clearly showed that the two sides had not read and deliberated upon the arrangement before the signing the agreement.

When contacted, CDA’s Member Finance Rana Shakeel Asghar told Dawn that the authority had recently undertook various projects including opening and renovating new parks to preserve the natural environment and enhance the capital’s beauty.

He said the civic body was actively working towards preserving the Margalla Hills.

He said a project worth billions of rupees would be initiated soon where brick and mortar would not be used for protection of the environment, besides developing Miyawaki forests. Students and teachers will also be engaged in plantation activities.

“In the upcoming CDWP meeting on June 29, a rainwater conservation in collaboration with PCRWR will be considered for approval,” he said.

CDA’s Member Finance Rana Shakeel Asghar showed up to the ceremony and said that he had been advised not to sign the agreement for transfer of CDA’s public land to the IWMB.

By the time Rina Saeed Khan joined IWMB as its chairperson last year in November, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had already decreed to shut down Islamabad Zoo and be transferred to IWMB for better care of the animals. The decision was supported by the federal cabinet.

Mr Shakeel signed the agreement which said that ownership of the 20 acre piece of land where the zoo was located would remain CDA’s property.

“The zoo is handed over to IWMB except for title of the land, which will be decided by the competent forum, in order to develop the facility as per High Court decision,” Rana Shakeel wrote on the agreement.

“We had hoped to close this last chapter of the old Islamabad Zoo and open a new one, that of the upcoming Margalla Wildlife Centre. We’ve had the administrative control since last six months. Now we wanted to move forward and develop the Margalla Wildlife Centre,” said Ms Khan at the press conference following the signing ceremony.

She said that the IWMB could not make improvements to the property if it was still under the civic agency’s control.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2021