KARACHI, April 21: A mini-park for children, designed by the former KMC/DMC East, now falling in Malir town, has been converted into a garbage dump.

The plot is located beside an under-construction government girls commerce college and a private hospital. It had been a properly maintained park before 1992.

The park has a boundary wall too, but inside there is only trash and garbage which is frequently removed by the sanitation staff of the concerned union council.

Area people say even fences and swings have been uprooted and the town authorities allowed this park to be ravaged although it could again be maintained as a children’s park owing to the absence of such a park in the locality.

Inquiries show that here entrance pillars were constructed and swings too were fixed for entertainment of children.

But as the park is continuously being ignored by the authorities, the area people fear that it may fall prey to encroachers owing to its location.

As it was located along the Begum Khursheed Road which had a commercial value too, and some mafia might try to usurp this piece of land, said an area resident.

Area people have demanded restoration of the park after provision of grass as at present addicts are seen on this piece of land.

Similarly, Shaheed Chowk Pumping Station park has also been allowed to be ravaged by the town administration, and here, too, garbage is dumped regularly.

It is a small park located along the Malir Extension Road and within it is the area pumping station supplying water to the locality of Khokhrapar.

As trash and garbage are dumped in it and it is not cleaned and maintained, water supply gets infected frequently owing to overflows or when during rains water makes its way into the underground water tanks, and into the damaged pipelines.