“The day the amusement park wraps up, you’ll see influential individuals vying to build apartment buildings there. But all of them point out that influential investors, backed by political parties, are vying to get hold of the land worth billions of rupees. On the other end, the company is using around 30% of the land for commercial purposes including a private members’ club.Ĭurrent and former officials offer varying views on the matter. He said that only the KMC’s estate department reserves the right to lease shops. “As per the agreement, which was updated last in 2004, they can use only 5% of the 52 acres for commercial purpose.” KMC’s Senior Director Recreation Rehan Khan said that multiple agreements have been signed with the company over the years. The job of issuing entry tickets and collecting vehicle parking charges has also been taken over by KMC to ensure oversight. The Park was even sealed for few days in 2004 during the tenure of former Nazim Naimatullah Khan. KMC took the company to court in the late 1990s to recover what it considered the right share of money being charged from the visitors. The rift between the administration and Joy Land is not new.
However, KMC officials insist the company has gone back on the contract more than once. “KMC didn’t spend any money on its development but enjoys the additional revenue stream instead.” “There is no denying that the private sector could manage it much better than any government entity,” said Mansoor Qazi, who headed KMC’s park division between 19.
Its water park, which has long been shut, was one of its kind with tall slides and an artificial wave pool. Not many people remember now but Aladin, built over government land measuring 52 acres, was the hit of the town. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government used it as a warehouse for hundreds of yellow cabs, which were distributed amid much fanfare in the preceding tenure of Nawaz Sharif. Up until 1994-5, it was largely allocated as a dumping ground. The land KMC was willing to spare was part of Safari Park in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, located along Rashid Minhas Road. The idea of Aladin Amusement Park was conceived in the early 1990s when the fast-changing governments were attempting to bring some sense of stability to the city. What the notice didn’t mention was that the near future comes in 2021. KMC’s rebuke was published on August 13 with a notice titled, ‘WARNING’ in national newspapers and cautioned people against dealing with A.A Joy Land as the “contract of this company with KMC is going to expire in the near future.” It recently came under fire from the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), which says the company breached the contract by resorting to commercial activities including renting out shops. Joy Land is part of Siddiqsons Group, which has interests in textiles, metals and property sectors. But just a handful of them actually spend money on the rides,” said a director at A.A Joy Land. Their kids play around and have a good time. “People use assorted facilities, which are for free. However, when it comes to taking out the wallets and spending money, they are not as eager as the park management expects them to. Families come jam-packed in vans and hired coaches, bringing along coolers and home-cooked food.
Most of the visitors use recreational area as a picnic spot. But the company, A.A Joy Land, says it operates just above breakeven. It appears to be doing a roaring business. The average turnover at the park is 3 million a year, making it the most visited recreational place in the country. People, mostly in their teens, line up in queues as they anxiously wait to try popular rides including the heart-stopping “Free Fall” and “Discovery”.ĭuring national holidays, the number of visitors easily surges beyond 25,000 a day. On a recent Saturday evening, thousands flocked to the Aladin Amusement Park, the biggest such facility in Pakistan.
0 kommentar(er)
