Residents protest health teams' markings on homes

Residents of Rawalpindi and cantonment areas have expressed their frustration over the actions of anti-polio and dengue surveillance teams, who have been marking identification numbers on doors, windows, walls, signboards, and PVC pipes of residential and commercial buildings. These markings, often made with permanent black markers, have significantly defaced the exterior of properties, damaging their aesthetic appeal.

The practice has sparked widespread outcry, particularly from homeowners who have spent large sums on painting and maintaining their properties.

In response, the Human Rights Cell of the District Bar Association has announced plans to challenge the issue in the High Court, calling for the establishment of a proper mechanism that preserves property appearance while allowing for health monitoring.

Many residents complain that their homes are repeatedly marked during monthly visits by polio, dengue, and lady health workers, leaving behind a trail of unsightly codes and numbers. This has led to mounting tensions, with reports of verbal altercations between citizens and health teams. The presence of women in these teams has occasionally led to confrontational encounters with male family members.

Despite the backlash, the Health Department has no formal system to regulate or monitor this process. According to insiders, senior officials have directly instructed teams to ensure markings are clearly visible—typically using permanent ink—without considering the damage done to personal property. These marks are difficult to remove and have marred the appearance of nearly every home in the city and the cantonment.

Citizens are now urging the Health Department to develop an alternative system—such as maintaining written records with homeowner verification through signatures, thumb impressions, or CNIC copies—instead of using permanent markers on buildings.

Malik Saleh Advocate, head of the District Bar Association's Human Rights Cell, emphasised that it is the state's duty to provide services without violating citizens' rights or damaging their homes. "No institution has the authority to deface cities like this," he said, announcing that a formal petition will be filed with the Rawalpindi Bench of the High Court this week.

Chairman of the Citizen Action Committee, Malik Zaheer Awan, also vowed to join the legal challenge. He argued that by writing on private property, municipal and health authorities are lowering the value of homes and causing distress rather than delivering public service.

Residents like Ibrahim Khan have taken a firm stance, vowing not to allow anyone to mark their homes again. "Whoever writes on my property will be responsible for the damage," he warned. Sultan Mehmood, another homeowner, expressed similar frustration. "No matter how many times I repaint my doors, they're always defaced again the next day."