IWMB to prioritise local community for operating small food kiosks at Pir Sohawa

Islamabad:The Islamabad Wildlife Management Board has planned to prioritise the local community for operating small food kiosks at the Pir Sohawa visitor area of the Margalla Hills National Park after the demolition of restaurants there.

“As for local employment, we'll give preference to the local community to run small kiosks selling a limited range of food inside Margalla Hills National Park, while ensuring waste management practices,” an IWMB official told 'The News'. He said the initiative was allowed by the Supreme Court in its recent orders for the relocation of Monal, La Montana and other restaurants out of the Margalla National Park.

The official said the board had planned to restore the Margalla viewpoint in an ecologically friendly manner for people's free access. He said leading architects had already been roped in for designing the vacated Margalla ridge for "public use." “No one will have to pay for viewing the city from Margallas,” he said.

The official said MHNP belonged to the state, suggesting it is public land. “This park has been accorded the highest protection as a notified national park. We intend to rehabilitate it, setting an example for other protected areas in the country,” he said. The official urged everyone to say no to polluting MHNP and protect it for the sake of wildlife and future generations as well.

According to him, Monal was built with the government's money on the state's land by the city's municipality, CDA. The restaurant's lease with the CDA expired in 2021 but it was not renewed by the CDA, which took Monal to the court over illegal occupation of its building. La Montana was built on private land, with permits for a small kiosk. "Both mega restaurants, which ended up grabbing the entire Margalla ridge, were never given the necessary environmental approvals and NOCs to operate in the protected Margalla national park," he claimed.

The official said Monal was sealed four times and La Montana three times for environmental or legal violations, but they managed to reopen. He added that the Supreme Court finally closed those restaurants down after a due legal process, including rejection of review petitions.

The official said the IWMB, in line with the court's orders, was demolishing the abandoned restaurant buildings with help of district administration and police to restore the hilltop to its natural condition before allowing visitors free access to it. “We’ll rewild the Pir Sohawa ridge and reintegrate it into the surrounding natural landscape,” he said. He said there were plans to install comfortable benches there for visitors to relax and enjoy the scenic views, plant local flora to support biodiversity and create a natural habitat for wildlife, put up educational displays featuring indigenous wildlife species raise awareness of local biodiversity, and install a water harvesting system along with a reservoir to promote sustainable water use and management.

The official said the retaining walls of the terraces would remain but concrete inside would be removed for plantation, while there would be a small emergency response facility with an area for quick response and first aid services, specifically for firefighting emergencies. He also said the IWMB would implement a “lighting management policy” by switching off solar lights at sunset to minimise disturbance to wildlife. The official said the entire exercise was meant to create a Margalla viewpoint that enhanced public enjoyment while promoting awareness of indigenous flora and fauna.