LAHORE, Nov 30: Parks in the localities of the commoners continue to suffer neglect despite the creation of the Parks and Horticulture Authority.

The PHA had been created under the orders of former chief minister Shahbaz Sharif over five years ago mainly for an overall improvement in the maintenance of the gardens and parks in the provincial metropolis as the people were critical of the poor performance of the defunct Metropolitan Corporation of Lahore in this regard.

Over 100 parks in the Lahore Development Authority schemes and 175 parks maintained by the defunct MCL were transferred to it along with hundreds of gardeners on the payrolls of both the civic bodies. Maintenance of more than 40 fountains installed at different places was also entrusted to the PHA.

The creation of an authority exclusively for the upkeep of gardens and parks, however, did not change the fate of the small parks in the localities inhabited by the common run of people as the ex-MCL and LDA policy of focussing attention only on the parks in posh localities remained unchanged.

The PHA has made its presence felt in posh localities by making significant improvements in the green verges on The Mall and Gulberg and New Garden Town Main Boulevards, organizing festivals in the Racecourse Park and floating fountains in the canal besides developing the foodstreets in Gowalmandi and Anarkali and lining up the above mentioned posh thoroughfares with fancy billboards to generate funds.