Don’t spoil the beauty!

The multi-million Shahbaz Sharif Park was established along Rawal Road and it was a welcome addition to the area as citizens who live in the area needed a place to rest and relax, especially if they live in small houses with no greenery. Since more and more natural green areas are being made into concrete jungles, it is even more important to have manmade parks -- and their maintenance is important.

As is the custom statues of people; animals and of course benches were installed for beauty and comfort. Unfortunately the general public lacks civic sense and is quite careless as far as making use of, or appreciating, facilities provided to them by the authorities, maybe because they are for free or they do not know any better. It's quite a common sight to see grown men using swings meant for children or climbing on the replicas of animals to take pictures.

While it is thought provoking as to why a very 'foreign' looking statue of a girl with a watering can was placed in the park, it's sad to see that the can has already been broken and destroyed the image. If the statues are being destroyed within three or four months then it can well be imagined what the state of the park as a whole will be like after a year!

There is another aspect to why this destruction took place. The administration needed to ensure that the park would be inaugurated during the visit of the then Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif in March. Work went on post haste and it is quite possible there was no proper supervision to see if good quality materials were used or not. Who knows?

Anyway we need to educate the public that the facilities are there for their pleasure and they should look after them. Until then maybe a few 'caretakers' should be appointed to see that those who visit the parks do not destroy their beauty.