'Sleeping beauty' campaign gathers momentum as cantonment board takes notice

CBC chief sanitary inspector Shabbir Hussain says they have been working rigorously to cover all potholes in DHA


Our Correspondent January 07, 2016
An open manhole filled with junk on Saba Avenue, DHA. PHOTO: EXPRESS

KARACHI: As the campaign highlighting open manholes by drawing the chief minister's stencil bore fruit, with orders issued to fix all such issues 'or else', residents of DHA and Clifton felt the need to follow in similar footsteps.

Ali Akbar Fakhruddin, who owns Burhani Autos on 12th Commercial Street in DHA Phase II, recently posted a photograph of a manhole with a missing cover right outside his shop.

Power of an image: CM’s face fills the gap where govt is missing

"After the market is closed and when it becomes dark once the lights go off, anyone can become a victim [by tripping]," said Fakhruddin, who said he has complained to the authorities several times but there has been no response.

Several commercial areas, and even a few residential neighbourhoods in DHA are home to broken manholes and uncovered ditches, filled with garbage. At a famous juice outlet in DHA Phase II, waiters serve while moving around a manhole missing a cover.

In other parts of DHA, such as main Saba Avenue near Khayaban-e-Seher, there is a pothole strewn with garbage.  Even in Zamzama commercial, residents and shopkeepers have resorted to covering manholes with tree trunks and branches.

PTI worker launches 'Sleeping Beauty' campaign to highlight 'misgovernance' in Karachi

A Tauheed Commercial resident, Mrs Saeed, remarked that open ditches on the road cause problems for drivers as well as for those walking in the area. She added that it causes problems especially during rain.

Residents hope the relevant authorities will step up to their responsibility after the recent social media frenzy when the chief minister's face was stencilled next to open manholes in other parts of the city.

For their part, Cantonment Board Clifton's (CBC) chief sanitary inspector Shabbir Hussain insisted that, for the last few days, they have been working rigorously to cover all potholes in DHA. CBC is introducing a different colour code for every manhole cover for every phase of DHA, he explained.

He admitted in many commercial areas, or localities in Delhi Colony and Punjab Colony, the problem of open potholes persists. "Since the streets are narrow, the water tankers and heavy vehicles that pass through keep damaging covers. Other times they are stolen by people," Hussain said. 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 8th, 2016.

COMMENTS (4)

Roadkashehzada | 8 years ago | Reply Can anyone start "fix it" campaign with picture of someone is uniform in dha. That's when I feel sympathy for politicians and that's when our real rulers r exposed
Adnan Siddiqi | 8 years ago | Reply DHA Karachi starting from Khayaban-e-Itehaad - Main Korangi Road and the peripheral arteries have become a nightmare for the residents. The civic infrastructure is nearing collapse due to the load of thousands of vehicles and water tankers plying on these roads. What's more, DHA is not doing anything to mitigate these plethora of inconveniences being caused to its residents day in and day out. That innovative (pun intended) and highly controversial storm water drainage system retrofitted on top of the roads has now rapidly eroded and over time, the concrete structure has started to chip away and the steel bars holding all that concrete are now exposed and protruding vertically that damage vehicles. DHA needs to wake up from its slumber and make use of those millions that it collects from its residents in the name of "World-class Environment and well-guarded community."
VIEW MORE COMMENTS
Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ