The major recreational spots of the city received an 'overwhelmed crowd' of people, especially women and children, during three days of Eid holidays. A large number of people visited the Lahore Zoological Garden, Greater Iqbal Park, Jallo Park, Bagh-e-Jinnah, Model Town Park, Race Course Park, Shalimar Garden and other recreational spots amidst strict security measures by the law enforcers.
Talking to Business Recorder here on Monday, a senior official of the Lahore Zoo said they had earned over Rs 1 million during the first day of Eid as over 31,152 people visited the garden. "In the second day, we hardly earned over Rs 200,000 as around 7267 people visited the garden. But on the third day, we earned around Rs 1 million after receiving over 25,000 people," the official said.
Ali Anwar, a visitor at the Lahore Zoo, said that most of visitors could not buy enough food from the canteen due to inflated prices. He said the zoo toilets were very dirty which created severe problems for the visitors. "When I approached the concerned officials over this situation, they paid no heed to my grievance," he claimed.
The zoo administration, however, said they had taken all the necessary arrangements for the convenience of visitors. "It is a natural phenomenon that people complain about lack of facilities in large public gatherings," said an official.
It may be added that the city police had put in place strict security measures for the visitors of different recreational spots by deploying additional force and installing walk-through gates. For security purposes, the traffic police had cordoned off The Mall from Governor House to GPO Chowk by installing barriers.
On the other hand, Bagh-e-Jinnah also witnessed a great number of visitors. "I come here with my family for last many years to admire the beauty of nature besides spending some time in fresh air," said Talha Irfan. He said the people thronged the park because of free entry and there was hardly any space for the visitors to walk on the track. "Such public places are the best way of spending time in a healthy way," he added. "Spending time in the park is a great activity for children. Pleasant weather also made this experience memorable," he further commented.