Flowers and parks: Painting Pindi with colours

RAWALPINDI:  Rawalpindi was never known for its lush parks. Green lawns dotted with colourful flowers with shade provided by huge trees are not a common sight in the congested metropolis. However, with the formation of Parks and Horticulture Agency (PHA) there is hope that things might move in the right direction.

As many as 50 big and small parks of Rawalpindi will be handed over to the newly-established PHA by the end of this month.
About 300 staff presently working with the garden branch of Rawal Town Administration (RTA) would work under PHA from the next fiscal year; the grievances of the staff have been addressed by the district government in a recent meeting, said Captain (retd) Mushtaq Ahmed, the managing director (MD) of PHA.
Around 42 parks are presently being looked after by the RTA, six parks are being controlled by Potohar Town Management and two big parks are being taken care of by the Rawalpindi Development Authority.
The PHA has started preparing a report about the deteriorating condition of some of the parks in the city and will start repair work after the agency has obtained finances from the provincial budget and after being handed over the trained staff, said Ahmed.
The PHA, which was established under the big cities’ package, aims at improving the green areas of the city, including parks and the green belts along the main roads, he added.
Speaking about the income of the agency in Rawalpindi, Ahmed said the summary for establishing a body in the city had been approved by the provincial cabinet and it would be functional only after the law was passed by the assembly.
After the establishment of the authority, the revenue presently collected by the district government through billboards and parks would be transferred to PHA, the MD said.
As long as the PHA functions as an agency, its expenditures both for development and non-development purposes will be obtained from the provincial authorities.
The MD added that PHA has recently completed the beautification of a railway bridge on Benazir Bhutto Road at Marreer Chowk. The bridge was more than 100 years old.
The agency has also started building Azadi (Freedom) Wall outside the historic Liaqat Bagh on Benazir Bhutto Road where the history of the struggle for freedom of Pakistan would be painted at a cost of Rs20 million, Ahmed said.
PHA also plans to install a huge clock near Rialto Chowk at Benazir Bhutto Road, to add to the beauty of the city. The project will be funded by private sector and the sponsors will be compensated through advertisements of their products.
Moreover, about the future of the staff to be shifted from RTA, Ahmed said the employees had been ensured by the district government that they would be paid by the PHA as their services would be utilised by the agency.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 26^th, 2011.

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