KARACHI: City Administrator Murtaza Wahab on Monday said that parks and playgrounds would be evacuated from clutches of the land mafia as the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) was taking all-out steps to ensure public access to quality recreational facilities.

“All the parks and playgrounds of the city are property of the people of Karachi,” he said at the inauguration of the Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan Park in Clifton. The park was named after the late nuclear scientist for the services he rendered to the nation.

Later, Mr Wahab inaugurated the Senior Citizen Family Park in Clifton and Gabriel Park in Saddar. All three parks have been renovated and restored by the District Municipal Corporation (DMC-South).

On the occasion, he said that these parks were occupied by the land mafia till a few months ago. “We ended the occupancy of these open spaces and within months the same areas were turned into exquisite parks and playgrounds.”

The administrator said that a campaign to plant trees was also under way to make Karachi green. For this, traditional shade trees would be planted in open spaces and along roadsides in different parts of the city. Moreover, arrangements for the campaign and protection and irrigation of trees had also been made.

Published in Dawn, February 8th, 2022