PESHAWAR, July 29: A foreign cellular company has closed a public park in Parachinar, Kurram Agency, for the general people by installing a tower and machinery inside it.
According to sources, the administration has rented a portion of the Jinnah Park to a cellphone company for installation of a tower and other equipment.
The company will shortly expand its network to the tribal agency along the Afghan border, 250 kilometres west of Peshawar.
Officials said the company would pay a monthly rent of Rs15,000 against the ‘facility’ allowed to them.
It has erected the antenna along the main entrance of the park and constructed a five-foot-high concrete wall around it.
After the installation and construction along the main gate people have been denied access to the park on a permanent basis.
The park, the only recreational facility for the people of the border town, was built before the partition. Besides offering place for recreational activities, the park has also sufficient space for organising jirga.
In late 80s, the agency’s political authorities built a picket for the Levy Force inside the park. Two years ago, the government built a nine-foot-high wall in the name of security after which a small entry gate was left for visitors. Now the company has erected its tower here.
An official of the cellphone company said that the company installed equipment after getting permission from the authorities.
