SHC restrains KMC from finalising process to auction entry fee collection at public parks

The Sindh High Court directed the director general of parks of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation to file comments on a plea against an auction for collecting entry fee for public parks in Karachi.

The high court also continued its interim order stopping the KMC from finalisation of the auction process for the collection of entry fees at various public parks in the city or issuing any work order till further orders.

The petitioner, advocate Tariq Mansoor, submitted that te KMC had issued a public notice regarding the auction for the purpose of collection of entry fees at various public parks, which was contrary to the orders of the Supreme Court.

He submitted that the KMC was going to auction licences to collect entry fees for the Clifton Park, Ameer Khusro Park, Jheel Park, Gulshan-e-Jinnah, Hill Park and Beach Park and had fixed different rates worth millions of rupees, which was tantamount to commercialising the amenity spaces.

The SHC was requested to declare the impugned public notice for the auctioning of parks to be illegal and in violation of a Supreme Court order that directed the KMC to run public parks free of charge.

The KMC counsel submitted that the KMC was not collecting any entry fees from citizens on parks under its control. A division bench, headed by Justice Yousuf Ali Sayeed, directed the DG Parks to file comments along with a compliance report on the next date of the hearing.