Premier’s visit: Bhara Kahu gets VIP treatment for a day

Clean streets, no power outages and orderly traffic for a day as PM visits Rural Health Centre for inauguration.

ISLAMABAD:

People walking past the Bhara Kahu Rural Health Centre (RHC) on Tuesday were met with surprise.

There were no taxicabs parked haphazardly or pakora and french-fries vendors along the roadside; the open manhole, previously covered with a large stone, had gotten a new lid; and an army of sanitary workers and maintenance staff were seen sweeping the road.

Even the Islamabad Traffic Police officials were unusually active in maintaining traffic discipline.

Seeing the entrance of the Bhara Kahu bazaar uncharacteristically clean and spacious was indeed a pleasant surprise, but it lead one to wonder what had caused such a splendid aberration. Had the responsible departments finally realised their responsibilities and were ensuring maintenance and discipline in the area? Not quite.

Upon enquiry it was revealed that Bhara Kahu was
awaiting the visit of the prime minister to inaugurate the upgraded RHC.

The roadside vendors had not been relocated or given proper shops, but had been forced by the police to close business for the day, due to the premier’s visit.

“I’m worried that my fruits and vegetables will become rotten by Wednesday, but who will compensate for my loss?” said Ashraf Khan, a greengrocer, who had been forced by the police to shut down his roadside shop.

A doctor who runs a clinic opposite to the RHC, requesting anonymity, said, “I am glad that this RHC has been upgraded, however, I am concerned about the patients at the clinic who are being forced to leave, as the law enforcement agencies have ordered me to shut down the clinic.”

The RHC in Bhara Kahu, which earlier lacked all basic health facilities and was in a deplorable condition, has been upgraded and given the status of a hospital.

The RHC has been equipped with all medical facilities such as X-ray and ultrasound machines. It has also been given a mother and child health centre and will be functional around the clock.

The RHC has been upgraded to 20 beds and will be affiliated with the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences.

Later the upgrade facility was inaugurated by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani. He was accompanied by Federal Secretary Health Nargis Sehti, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Federal Information Minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, Senator Nayyar Bukhari, and others.

During their speeches, PM Gilani and Malik gave long discourses on the current political scenario in the country, intermixed with one sentence about the upgraded facility. Some people in the audience were disappointed.

Farhan Abbasi, a resident of the area, said, “I hope this RHC will serve all residents of Bhara Kahu and not just the PPP workers, as it happened in the distribution of natural gas in the area.” People behind him nodded.

The residents also got respite from power outages. There were no power cuts in Bhara Kahu from Tuesday afternoon till the end of the inauguration ceremony. Two hours later, the power outages resumed.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 28^th, 2011.