Parks and recreation

Residents from nearby areas visit the KMC park on Kashmir Road, Karachi. My friends and I have been visiting the park for the last 25 to 40 years for jogging. The park has designated spaces for different sports – squash, football, basketball, etc. The newly constructed buildings, however, haven’t been opened for the public to date. In the same manner, the park’s administration built a new jogging track around the football ground, but no one is allowed inside. The entire park is in a bad shape as there is no maintenance. After the recent rains, the grass has overgrown in most parts of the park. No one is seen watering, trimming or cutting the grass. Recently, there have been some changes regarding the park’s timing. The newly appointed director has decided that the park will be opened from 5pm. It is not a wise decision. Winter is coming and days will get shorter. The park should open from 4pm.

A few days ago, my friends and I were not allowed to enter the park because of its then on-going inspection. This park is a beautiful facility where hundreds of visitors come daily to relax. The park shouldn’t have been closed down for visitors just because of one person. Had visitors been allowed that day, the park’s administration would have seen how the citizens utilise their time in the park. The officials would have enjoyed watching children running and playing. The administration should also consider forming a committee led by regular visitors, so that the basic problems of the park are identified and reported in a timely manner.

Dr M Tahir Soomro

Karachi