Joseph Colony: Gawkers and politicians hold up rebuilding work

Imran Khan’s visit to Badami Bagh sparks slogan chanting match between PTI and PML-N workers.

LAHORE:

“President Asif Ali Zardari gets blamed for every failure but who do we blame for this disaster?” asked Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan speaking with the media at Joseph Colony.

Arrival of celebrities and out-of-towners continued throughout the day in the colony, which obstructed the construction work. Police officials’ efforts to cordon off the area resulted in quarrels with the police mostly backing down.

Construction work on the burnt houses continued and those displaced were placed in camps on Monday.

The debris was shifted out in trucks.

District Coordinating Officer Noorul Amin Mengal said that Rs100 million had been approved for the construction work. He said it was still too early to make a call regarding the total losses. The DCO said more money would be forthcoming as needed. Mengal added that people would be able to return to their newly built homes in a matter of days. He refused to set a deadline for the completion of the construction but said that the work was moving briskly.

Mengal, the city government staff, Lahore Development Authority officials, Traffic Engineering and Transport Planning Agency (TEPA) officials and Construction and Works officials monitored the work throughout the day. NGOs like Alkhidmat, Alkhair and others distributed food.



Police officials, however, were suspicious of the amount of food brought into the camps. A police official said food started pouring in at 6 am and every few hours two or three mini trucks with food arrived. His said this continued till midnight. He added that apparently people from nearby areas were visiting the camps to access the food.

Locals were distressed when Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz workers and PTI workers shouted slogans trying to drown out each other’s voices after Imran Khan arrived at the colony. Yousaf Masih, a resident of the colony, said it was sad that the PML-N government which could not protect their houses was now stopping leaders of other parties from visiting them.

According to revenue records, Joseph Colony in Badami Bagh, Khasra No4078, 4079 consists of 23 kanals, 7 marlas and 96 sqft. Factories and steel godowns surround the land which is owned by the municipalities.

The district administration set up a seven-member official team to survey the colony. After the survey was completed, another team set out to verify its findings.

According to the survey, 114 units including two churches and seven shops were affected in the incident, 269 families were displaced.

The city district government has set up a temporary 10-bed hospital in Joseph Colony with two ambulances that are present around the clock. Cheques of Rs500,000 have been distributed to each family.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 13^th, 2013.