Potholes in the CM’s administration

Roads in Karachi are ruined. Almost every street in the city has gaping gutters and potholes whereby vehicles pass with a higher probability of extensive damage. Unfortunately, there is not a minimal effort seen from the local government or the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) to resolve this problem. They talk about taxes. What do those who do pay taxes get in return?

The government has yet again failed to address the closing of potholes and ditches, even on the busy roads of Karachi, despite Alamgir Khan’s ‘Fix it’ campaign and millions of rupees allocated to the local ministry.

I believe if our chief minister is responsible for inaugurating hospital wards and allegedly all the other ‘good things’ that happen in the province and gets perks, benefits and protocols from the taxpayers’ money, he is also responsible for the ineptness of his local government. The potholes, open manholes, debris and garbage on the streets are under municipalities and if the officials of municipalities are not working, it is their responsibility to either remove them from their job or ensure the completion of their job.

More worrying is the fact that even if there is any construction work happening or any ditch in the middle of the road, the authorities do not put barriers or caution signs to save people from incidents.

I have personally witnessed many severe accidents that occurred due to a lack of attention by local officials. This might be a very subordinate problem for many of us, but it is a problem not to be ignored. It is affecting numerous traffickers on a small scale.

A humble request to the KMC: kindly fix all the potholes, gutters and ditches on a top priority basis, so that the common man does not suffer.

To our Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah I say: It is your job to seal gutters and potholes, just like it is your job to improve education, health care, and security in the province.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 12^th, 2016.