Administrator opens Bagh Ibne Qasim for public

Karachi Administrator Iftikhar Ali Shallwani opened Bagh Ibne Qasim for public on Sunday. According to a statement issued by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), entry to the park will be free.

The administrator announced this while visiting Bagh Ibne Qasim along with Director General Parks Taha Saleem, Senior Director Coordination Masood Alam and officers of other departments.

Shallwani said Bagh Ibne Qasim is spread over 130 acres and is the biggest park of Pakistan. He said that a fair amount is required for its care. “A large number of staff members and lots of funds are required for the park, which is why it has been decided that the park will be named after other countries, and they’ll be invited to take care of the park as per their traditions, so the visitors can learn about their civilisation.”

The administrator said he has spoken to the consuls general of different countries, and they are ready to cooperate with the KMC. He also announced setting up moveable food stalls so that people can benefit from this facility at the park.

Shallwani said that cultural and government programmes should also be held at Bagh Ibne Qasim, as they would save the KMC’s financial resources. He ordered the removal of debris from the park’s backyard and the planting of grass there.

He also issued orders for increasing the number of lights in the park and repairing the non-functional ones. Director General Parks Taha Saleem said that 26 of the 36 light towers are not functioning due to technical faults. Shallwani ordered park timings to be from 9am to 6pm until the lights are fixed.

Footpaths’ revamp

A week ago Shallwani had expressed dissatisfaction over the conditions of roads and footpaths, and ordered that footpaths should also be revamped as part of the construction of roads under development projects.

He presided over a meeting of the KMC’s engineering department. “Contractors will not be paid in full until the completion of the entire work,” he warned.

“The engineers concerned should update the department with pictures and dates. Work on the pending projects should be expedited and completed at the earliest,” he stressed.

Director General Technical Services Iqtidar Ahmed, Senior Director Coordination Masood Alam, all the chief engineers and other officials were also present on the occasion. The ongoing projects were reviewed in the meeting, and the chief engineers briefed everyone about the pace of work in their respective jurisdictions.

The administrator told the meeting that he would visit every site himself to check the standard and material being used in the construction of roads.