The Islamabad Senior Citizens' Committee (ISCC) has appealed to the President and Prime Minister to save F-9 Fatima Jinnah Park from converting into a food street. The ISCC termed allocation of 6000 sq. yards of park land to a fast food chain as a severe violation of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) bylaws.
The ISCC in its letter, addressed to the President and Prime Minister, said that F-9 park was one of the rare places in Islamabad where residents of Islamabad of all categories, sect and age could take a recreation walk especially in the evening without much disturbance and hassle.
The letter said that the Senior Citizens had formed a committee on voluntary basis, which supports CDA staff in enforcing law, discipline and maintenance of cleanliness on volunteer basis. The committee apprised the youths and other users of the park to maintain cleanliness, avoid forced entries of vehicles and motorcycles and general encouragement for good behaviour within the park.
It said that the last year CDA allotted substantial chunk of the land, including part of the jogging track near F-9 park gate allotted to a fast food chain for setting up a food outlet and the foundation stone was laid by the Federal Minister of Interior. However, the CDA withheld the decision in the wake of strong protests by the users of the park. But now with a gap of few weeks it allotted 6,000 Sq to the group. The ISCC added that the land location at the end of Jinnah Avenue allotting to McDonalds at a nominal rent is unfair and amounts to misuse of authority and violation of bylaws by CDA.
The letter said that ISCC strongly felt against the preferential treatment to a company as other foreign and Pakistani fast food chains had set up their outlets in commercial areas under normal terms and conditions.
It said that the citizens of Islamabad were not against the opening of this outlet but it should be done on commercial land, which should be provided by CDA on commercial rates after public auction.
Alternatively, it maintained that the company should find its own commercial area for setting up their outlets like others in the fast food business and not seek park land.
It claimed that according to prevailing market rate the value of land allotted in the park comes to approximately $9 million and it's a day light robbery to allot this on lease basis on annual rental, which is fraction of the total value.
It maintained that it did not provide level playing field to other fast food chains, who would also exert pressure and influence quoting this as a precedent for allocation of similar land in F-9 park for setting up their outlets. This would eventually convert Fatima Jinnah Park into a food street rather than a recreational park.
The committee claims that no where in the world recreational parks are converted into food street, which is being done by the CDA in Fatima Jinnah Park by violating their own bylaws. It requested the President that this being a matter of utmost public interest he should intervene and save F-9 park from being converted into a food street.