Cities need to grow according to the changes in their population and demography and consequently, needs, but our urban centres are far from progressing in this respect. Healthcare and public transport remain among the most neglected public services, which specifically impact people belonging to low-income groups who do not have access to private cars and cannot afford private healthcare.
Despite devolution of powers with the local government elections in Islamabad last year, the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation, the local government and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has had nothing to show for its performance besides wasting valuable time in bureaucratic hurdles. Basic civic issues including sanitation, garbage collection, waste disposal and pollution remain unaddressed, with no end or long-term plans in sight to resolve these problems.
In Rawalpindi, no major development projects for the city have been initiated since the metro bus service was launched in 2015. Other important projects have remained stalled. A maternity healthcare project, the Mother and Child Hospital, that was started in 2005 at a cost of Rs2.5 billion by the federal government remains unfinished to date. The hospital project, which was a much-needed one for the city, has been shelved since the 2008 general elections. Another hospital project, a 200-bed facility was started in 2012, but this too remains unfinished because of lack of funding.
While healthcare services are far behind what should be expected from government authorities, life-threatening issues remain. According to the World Health Organisation, two Pakistani cities are among the five most polluted cities in the world, with Peshawar second in the world for the dirtiest air, followed by Rawalpindi in the fourth place. Surely, the citizens of this country deserve better than to only top the ranks in filth.
At present, no urban city of Pakistan is liveable as such in terms of its provision of what are considered basic necessities. It is high time that our cities offer decent living standards for all and are able to provide the most basic of public services.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 8th, 2017.
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