I visited the Ayub National Park in Rawalpindi recently with my family, comprising four adults and two toddlers. At the entrance, I paid Rs100 for car parking. We then came across a section showcasing military exhibits, including tanks, helicopters, missile models and fighter jet dummies.
To view these exhibits, we were charged Rs500, with no concession for senior citizens. A few steps ahead, we encountered a snake house, which also required separate entry tickets. Again, no exemption for either the children or the elderly.
Finally, we reached the amusement area, which featured a variety of attractions for children, like electric swings, a jumping castle, dodging cars, a magic house, and many more.
However, each of these pieces of amusement required separate, and quite costly, tickets, ranging from Rs150 to Rs250 per ride. For a middle-class family with three or more children, the overall picnic cost was almost unmanageable.
Moreover, the food prices within the park were unjustified both in terms of quality and quantity. A small bucket of tasteless fries was being sold at Rs200, and a so-called Turkish ice cream was also priced at Rs200.
Almost every item, including regular packaged snacks, like chips and biscuits, was being sold Rs10 to Rs20 above the printed retail price.
This overcharging is unjustifiable, especially considering the park’s central location in a major city like Rawalpindi, where availability and distribution of such items are not challenging, unlike in remote mountainous regions.
The authorities should reduce the entry fee and ride fares, especially for children and senior citizens, introduce a lump-sum pass for the children to allow unlimited access to rides, ensure standard pricing of all food items, and improve the quality of food items being sold inside the park.
MUHAMMAD USMAN FAROOQ
ISLAMABAD
