DEVELOPING parks or recreational places for people have never been on priority list of any government in Pakistan and unfortunately existing public places have also been seen encroached by certain unscrupulous elements for their personal gains.
But there appears to be some mindset change at least in Karachi where over 138 parks were cleared from encroachers recently while provincial government has also come up with a novel plan to restore these parks in their original shape. Chairing a meeting, Sindh Chief Secretary Syed Mumtaz Ali proposed ‘Adopt a park policy’ of the government aimed at getting help of private, non-governmental organisations and civil society to restore and maintain parks in Karachi. This is a very important initiative of provincial government as parks and protected public lands have proved to be important not only to improve overall environment degradation but also to connect families and children with nature and facilitate outdoor recreation. Providing such serene places to people and engage them in healthy activities also help reduce crime rates in the society, especially amongst youth.
We, therefore, expect that private sector will be more forthcoming and become partner to ensure the upkeep and maintenance of public parks which will also go a long way in improving overall landscape of the metropolis which otherwise is known for heaps of garbage. Involvement of the civil society and non-governmental organisations in this public and environment friendly initiative will also help securing parks from encroachers.