Blessing marred: 600 youths admitted for injuries during Eid

Injured were mostly young motorcyclists performing stunts sans safety precautions

KARACHI: Thanks to the ineptitude of authorities and the general apathy our society encompasses, celebrations are often turned into disasters. A recent example of this chaotic scenario emerged when 600 youngsters were admitted in the emergencies of the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) and other hospitals during Eid.

The injured, who were mostly young motorcyclists, were performing stunts without safety precautions around Clifton.

According to data shared by JPMC executive director Anees Bhatti, of the total 3,500 cases handled by the hospital during Eid, over 600 injuries were causes by road accidents. Out of these 600 patients, 400 were motorcyclists. Talking to The Express Tribune, Bhatti said over 100 were head injuries while the remaining were minor injuries. He added that they were expecting such cases since this happens every year during Eid.

Bhatti mentioned that apart from road accidents, 40 patients of food poisoning were admitted while 20 others were admitted for poisonous alcohol consumption. He added that they were expecting more cases since Eid holidays are prolonged this time.



Talking about the rash motorcycle riding and injuries, traffic ADIG Tahir Noorani told The Express Tribune that they have taken the matter seriously and have apprehended 180 riders along with their motorcycles. He added that the young motorcyclists were later released after an undertaking was signed by their parents. He said that almost all of these motorcyclists were apprehended from District South near Sea View. Noorani pointed out that the obvious cause of injuries was the absence of safety gear during wheeling. He added that most of the injured were shifted to JPMC.

Waqar Jamil, who received a head injury near Sea View due to wheeling, said it was his addiction and he has suffered worse injuries before.

Traffic situation

Whether you pin the blame on the pleasant weather of the city or the mismanagement of the traffic police, the roads of the city remained jam-packed until the third day of Eid and are expected to remain the same till Sunday.

The traffic ADIG said they have banned all kinds of heavy traffic from entering these areas while help is also being sought from the police and Rangers. He mentioned the South and East districts as the worse affected.

Noorani said that the traffic situation is challenging in the surroundings of public places, which include amusement parks of the city as well as the Clifton beach due to the presence of a large number of visitors.

Section 144 violators

A total of 50 people were arrested for violation of Section 144. They were apprehended for swimming in the open sea or wheeling and were also presented in the court of a judicial magistrate. All of them were released on bail against a sum of Rs5,000. All of them were arrested by the Boat basin police, said a police official.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 9^th, 2016.