Citywide theft of road items disrupts public order

Survey reveals police negligence is to blame

KARACHI:

While most would consider stealing private possessions as being a common form of theft, the recent disappearance of public property in the commercial hub, raises a new law and order situation.

With drug abuse and unemployment on the rise, many addicts and jobless people have started stealing covers of sewage manholes, grills of pedestrian bridges, railings of footpaths, cables of traffic signals and equipment for developmental projects, in broad daylight and at night, in order to extract iron from the stolen items and sell it for money.

As a road eyewitness Muhammad Ahmed revealed, “I have personally seen many thieves stealing wood from the green belts and footpaths of various roads, several times a day.” Ahmed, further added that he had even caught a thief red-handed once, and had tried recording a video but was unsuccessful, as the criminal had already escaped.

According to Water Board District East Executive’s Engineer, Waqar Ahmad, the incidents of stealing various road items, including manhole covers, have increased significantly in the past few years. Indeed, missing manholes can be located all across the city, in areas including Gulshan Iqbal, Landhi, Korangi, Malir, Shah Faisal Colony, Lyari, Pir Colony, Orangi Town, Federal B Area, Federal Capital Area, Garden, Ranchore Lines, and Kharadar, among many others.

Despite the wide prevalence of the crime, survey results show a decrease in the number of regular police mobile patrols in the city, ultimately implying that even though the vice is rampantly disrupting public order, the concerned law enforcement authorities are showing complicity.

As a survey carried out by the Express Tribune confirmed, “Even when people report missing manhole covers and traffic cables to the police, they rarely take the issue seriously.” In his response to the allegations Waqar Ahmad shared, “Since the number of manhole handle thefts have increased drastically in the past few years, it has become increasingly difficult for the police to respond to every single complain that they receive.”

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According to officials of the District Municipal Corporation, the maintenance of water and sewage system, including the replacement and supervision of manhole handles, is the responsibility of Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB), but the board has failed miserably at fulfilling its duties, since leakage in water lines, overflow of sewage manholes and unavailability of manhole covers are common complaints.

Missing manholes handles, however is not the only issue bedeviling public order since many reports claim that most of the pedestrian bridges installed in the city have their steel rods stolen by drug addicts, who take refuge in nooks and corners around the bridge. This results in a hazardous situation for regular pedestrians, who cross the bridge, in fear of succumbing to their injuries following an unanticipated fall.

Moreover, according to Xen Raza Hussain of the Traffic Engineering Bureau, “Many drug addicts also steel traffic signal cables, which causes the traffic lights to malfunction, leading to a traffic blockage.”

Many developmental projects, including the Orange and Red Lines, have also been adversely affected by the rise in cases of road theft.  According to sources, drug addicts would steal the cables surrounding the Orange Line and the traffic and safety signboards placed around the Red Line. 

Speaking to the Express Tribune on the matter, Xen Raza Hussain added, “While I agree that no First Information Reports (FIR)’s were registered against cases of road theft earlier, we are now actively filing FIR’s against the perpetrators, whether they be drug addicts or rickshaw drivers.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 30^th, 2023.