The bureaucratic mindset is incapable of recognising that it is actually pushing Pakistan into an abyss, bit by bit
ISLAMABAD: I am a resident of Soan Garden Housing Society in Islamabad. The society charges its residents for providing security, sanitation and water supply. It is a contract between a resident and the society administration in which the former is expected to pay a prescribed amount in lieu of services that the latter provides. But astonishingly, the situation here is that the residents are paying a great deal but literally, getting nothing.
Let me quickly describe our predicament on all the three counts. Despite the presence of security guards, one can’t risk parking one’s car outside the home, even in broad daylight. There have been many instances of car stealing. The condition of roads inside the society is deplorable. Most of the paths are badly in need of repair or reconstruction. The state of sanitation is simply pitiable. It is sufficient to say that dust, dirt and stray dogs reign on the roads of the society at all hours.
Turning to the water that comes out of the taps, there is only one filter point in the entire society, from which residents have to fetch water for household use. Even this sole source is running dry for the past many weeks, and no one cares to correct this despite repeated complaints. The water supplied to homes is quite insufficient and very poor in quality; neither drinkable nor usable for cooking. A water tanker mafia thrives on mismanagement and lack of planning. This is the state of delivery of services for which the society administration keep charging us every month.
This is a blatant breach of the contract on the part of the society, which is currently administrated by a magistrate who, perhaps, has never visited this location. After several visits to the society office, I could only procure his number for registering complaints; he was absent all of the time. However, after exhausting the option of making false promises, he asked me for a written request.
I just want to emphasise that this is not just a localised problem; this is how the public service delivery system is collapsing before us. However, sadly, the bureaucratic mindset is incapable of recognising that it is actually pushing Pakistan into an abyss, bit by bit. Who will battle the mafias extracting the public’s money without providing the promised services?
Shahid Anwar
Published in The Express Tribune, February 6th, 2015.
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