ISLAMABAD
\nMost of the public parks and playgrounds in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) are in shambles, need civic authorities\u2019 attention to make them attractive places for visitors. The city is renowned for its abundance of resorts and public green spaces.
\nHowever, these green spaces are now highlighting the necessity for regular maintenance by the relevant authorities. According to a senior official of Capital Development Authority (CDA), there are more than 300 public parks and playgrounds in Islamabad whereas over 820 staff is deployed for keeping these parks clean and green.
\nA resident of Sector G11\/2, Haq Nawaz said, public parks in majority of areas including G-10, G-9, G-8, G-13 and G-7 were in poor condition with broken benches, broken lamps, overgrown grass, uneven walking tracks, trash strewn all over.
\nTouqeer Ahmed, a regular visitor of playground in G-9 lamented the appalling condition of most parks and playgrounds, stating, \u201cThe lush greenery is overshadowed by the neglect, reflecting a lack of interest from CDA officials.\u201d
\nShahid Jameel, a resident of G-13\/4, said, \u201cSwings and other playing instruments installed at a park near his house had broken, posing a threat to children. It\u2019s heartbreaking to see our parks in this state. Now, I don\u2019t feel safe bringing my kids here.\u201d
\nWhen contacted, Qaisar Mahmood an Assistant Director of Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA) told media that all the public parks and playing areas under the authority were renovated and revamped time and again but the outsiders misuse these recreational facilities.
\nHe called upon the residents to also help government in maintaining public facilities by taking much care of such facilities while using them. Director Environment of Capital Development Authority (CDA) Rana Kashif said, \u201cThe capital has the largest number of parks and the directorate of environment is divided into four parts; East, West, Parks and Regional.
\nThere is no specific allocation of funds, the funds are allocated on need based for renovation and provision of the required facilities.\u201d The residents urged the relevant authorities to take notice of the situation and must prioritize park maintenance, allocate sufficient funds, and engage community members for equipping the parks with facilities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD Most of the public parks and playgrounds in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) are in shambles, need civic authorities\u2019 attention to make them attractive places for visitors. The city is renowned for its abundance of resorts and public green spaces. However, these green spaces are now highlighting the necessity for regular maintenance by the relevant […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":437060,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-437042","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-national"},"yoast_head":"\n