KARACHI, March 8: The rehabilitation and renovation of the Hill Park will begin by the end of the current month.

Spread over of 62 acres, the Hill Park was built in the early 1960s.

However, 75 per cent of the parkland had not been developed and over the years most of the undeveloped area has been encroached.

Besides, the department concerned has not paid attention to the maintenance of the park, depriving the citizens of what used to be an attractive recreational spot.

However, a spokesman for the city government told Dawn that for the last many months the parks department had been working on the rehabilitation of the Hill Park and it was busy removing all unauthorized structures and encroachments from the parkland.

He conceded that there was a lack of maintenance in the park but claimed that the city government was not spending money on its repairs because it would rehabilitate the entire park on modern lines.

He said City Nazim Mustafa Kamal had already sanctioned Rs200 million for the Hill Park project and all required paperwork, including tendering process and issuance of work order to the contractor concerned, had been completed.

The spokesman said development work would begin in the current month and the park would open to the public by the end of this year.

A jogging track, fountains, rockery, parking and special lighting arrangements are part of the rehabilitation plan.