Open manholes endanger lives in Pindi

RAWALPINDI:

Despite the recent deaths of two children who fell into open manholes in Karachi and Lodhran, numerous uncovered manholes in Rawalpindi remain accidents waiting to happen. The relevant departments have failed to cover these open manholes, and even after two innocent lives were lost, their negligence and indifference persist.

Open manholes - whose covers have been removed - continue to pose a constant threat of serious accidents. A large number of such uncovered manholes can be found in Union Council 7, Union Council 8 and the streets adjoining Murree Road in Rawalpindi. Simply by covering these manholes, potential tragedies could easily be prevented.

Chairman of the Citizen Action Committee, Zaheer Ahmad Awan, says the Committee has approached all concerned departments to have the open manholes covered, but no authority has taken any meaningful action. He warned that if the manholes are not covered and an accident occurs, the Citizen Action Committee itself will become the complainant and register an FIR against the responsible department.

Awan further noted that children, women and elderly citizens pass by these open manholes every day, and a tragedy similar to those in Karachi or Lodhran could occur at any moment.

Meanwhile, the residents of Rawalpindi have appealed to Punjab CM to take notice of the alarming situation posed by these open manholes, and to hold the negligent departments accountable.