While the crisis-hit Karachiites have only a major source of entertainment, the sea site, where they can enjoy for a moment, they are now being charged around Rs 20 per head of self-imposed entry fee by some unknown people.
It was observed on Monday that at the main entrance of the sea view some people, who claimed to belong to a private company, which, according to them, has a contract with City District Government Karachi (CDGK) to collect entry fee from visitors of the sea site.
They were issuing small tickets of two colours labelled with only the ticket number, date and amount, to the visitors of the site after receiving the charges at different counters. In the locality the parking and the entry fee of the garden adjacent to the site were additional charges beside the self-imposed fee of the company.
When this scribe refused to pay the fee they said it was mandatory to pay before entering the site, but interestingly, when they were asked for a meeting with their high-ups, they allowed going to the site without the any ticket.
"It was another charge for the poverty stricken masses of the metropolis, who have the only picnic point. These people are depriving us of the only source of entertainment," Ahmed Ali, a visitor, said, adding that the government should take immediate and serious action against these people. "I do not know why these people are charging us," Muhammad Raza, another visitor, said.
Ishaq, who had come to the site from PIB colony, said that it was very unjust to demand fee even for visiting the sea site as the poor citizens were already paying multiple taxes with different heads. However, when contacted, official sources in CDGK said that there was no such fee or charge imposed by the City Government at the said site. They said CDGKs policy was to facilitate the citizens as it had already decided to charge no entry fee at Bin Qasim Park, the newly built big park of the government.
"We are surprised to know that black sheep are charging the self-imposed charges on poor masses," they said, adding that the government should take immediate action against such people. They further said that Clifton Cantonment Board (CBC) should also take notice about the happenings as most of the area lies in the jurisdiction of the board.