MUZAFFARABAD: In a series of steps aimed at the much-needed facelift of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) capital, a key civic body has embarked on an initiative to give a “flowery touch” to the town.

Azhar Gillani, chairman of Development Authority Muzaffarabad (DAM), told Dawn that under the move spaces were being carved out on the mountainside from the Supreme Court building to Domel Bridge where seasonal flowers would be planted throughout the year.

In parts of this road, where large retaining walls had been built to protect some official buildings, hanging flower baskets and planters would also be installed, he said.

A large concrete made flower pots would also be placed on the median strips of the main road in Chattar neighbourhood and the one running outside CMH in the old part of the city. These median strips would be protected by iron grills so that stray cattle could not ruin the plants, he said.

“Time has come to give a flowery look to the state capital, particularly the areas which first catch the attention of the travellers from outside, because Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas is impassioned about it,” the DAM chairman said.

He added that some greenbelts along the road stemming from Garhi Pan Chowk would also be redeveloped as mini parks. Since this road also leads to the famous tourist resort of Pir Chinasi, improved looks of its both sides would feast the eyes of the motorists and pedestrians alike, he said.

According to Mr Gillani, though immediately his institution would purchase flowers from private nurseries in Islamabad but it would be able to produce its own seedlings and saplings of different flowery, fruit and ornamental plants in a short span of time.

“We are going to establish a nursery on 1.5 acres in our Langarpura Satellite Town [on the outskirts of Muzaffarabad] with the help of experts in the private sector,” he said.

With less than a year in office, Mr Gillani is accredited for giving pleasing looks to at least five roundabouts of the city, by installing clock towers at three of them and a giant book model and a globe at the remaining two.

He said the Azadi Chowk, also known as Burhan Wani Chowk, outside the press club and the shrine of Saheli Sarkar would also have a book-model with verses of Quran imprinted on them within a short time.

A mock-up hand with a victory sign which was placed in the main plot of this roundabout after its creation some seven years ago had been painted afresh but moved to one of the two small plots, he said.

Mr Gillani said he had also developed City View Park along Tariqabad Road, where two 80-feet high flag posts had been installed, to be inaugurated by PM Ilyas in the middle of the ongoing month.

In future, the 15x10 feet flags of Pakistan and Azad Kashmir would be hoisted at this spot on each flag-hoisting occasion, he said.

Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2022