Cold reception: The case of the missing welcome

'Welcome to Karachi' letters go missing from sign at Star Gate

KARACHI: In June the city government wanted to welcome people to the city, in October some residents completely rescinded that welcome. 'Welcome to Karachi' said stainless steel letters affixed to a pink wall at Star Gate Chowrangi, highlighted by yellow lights and ready to give a warm welcome to foreigners and locals arriving in the metropolis.

Barely a month after being installed, the letters began to disappear, according Khan Zada, a resident of the area. "Initially one or two letters disappeared," he said, adding that all of a sudden all the letters vanished, as did the accompanying illuminating lights.

"The wall looked so beautiful at night when the yellow light beamed on those stainless steel letters," he recalled.



In June, when the letters were affixed to the wall, then Malir District Municipal Corporation (DMC) administrator Tariq Mughal said that the Karachi commissioner had, in order to beautify the city, directed the project in order to welcome people arriving at Jinnah airport.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Mughal said that around Rs0.2 million was spent on the beautification of the entire area. "Lanes were properly marked, plantation was carried out and cat's eyes were installed on roads," he said, adding that when the administration changed no one took responsibility for the work.

The purpose of the welcome sign was to project a good image of the city to foreigners who arrive at the airport, he shared.

Not my problem

Meanwhile, incumbent elected chairman of District Malir, Jan Muhammad Baloch, is completely unaware of the disappearance of the letters and said he is not sure whether Star Gate falls within his jurisdiction.

A traffic police officer at Star Gate said that every morning when he arrived for duty, he observed that a letter or two had disappeared. "Drug addicts mostly carry out such activities in the dark," he claimed. Malir deputy commissioner Muhammad Ali was unavailable for comments.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 29^th, 2016.