Open house: Security, sanitation and open drains main problems for DHA residents
PTI lawmakers hold first town hall meeting on Sunday.
PTI lawmakers hold first town hall meeting on Sunday. PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI:
Setting a precedent for other lawmakers, elected representatives of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Sunday held the first town hall meeting since the general elections in May last year.
The main problems that came up for the residents of DHA - the neighbourhood where MNA Dr Arif Alvi and MPA Samar Ali Khan are elected from - were security, sanitation and open drains.
The meeting was held at small lawn in Phase VI, where PTI volunteers and activists had set up chairs for the visitors and hoisted party flags. The meeting started with the national anthem and Quran recitation.
The aim of the meeting was to find out what problems the people in this area face and make the people rise to get their problems solved, explained Dr Alvi, while talking to The Express Tribune.
“You need to build a pressure group to solve each of your problems,” he suggested. “We want people to do something on their own and bring their issues to the front.” Dr Alvi discouraged people from sitting silently on their complaints. He pointed out that the PTI team regularly visits other parts of the constituency, NA-250, and listen to people’s grievances. Sunday’s meeting was, however, their first town hall meeting that will be held regularly on the first Sunday of every odd month.
Addressing the gathering, Dr Alvi extended his gratitude to the people for voting for PTI. He assured them they that they will try to resolve their problems. “We want NA-250 to become an exemplary constituency of the city and I need your help and support for this,” he added.
Later, Khan gave a briefing on the projects on health, education and environment that the PTI is working on in the constituency with the help of private funding. They have also identified 42 government schools in NA-250 for improve their toilets and train teachers with the help of the education ministry.
The volunteers placed complaint slips on a table and asked the attendants to write down their complaints. Most of the complaints were related to security and sanitation problems. Dr Shakeel Rizvi, a resident of Phase II Extension, complained about the drains that were built to take rain water directly into the sea but, he said, there are flaws in the design. These drains are now serving as a source of stagnant water and mosquitoes, he said.
A resident of Phase I complained about the increasing number of burglaries and drug addicts, who steal power cables of the Karachi Electric Supply Company, in the vicinity. Salahuddin Khalid, another resident, complained about traffic problems on Khayaban-e-Ittehad on Sundays when many people make their way to Sunday Bazaar.
MPA Khurram Sher Zaman, who was also present in the meeting, assured the people that their issues will be taken up with the relevant authorities and that PTI teams will keep them updated about the progress in fixing their issues.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 6th, 2014.
Setting a precedent for other lawmakers, elected representatives of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Sunday held the first town hall meeting since the general elections in May last year.
The main problems that came up for the residents of DHA - the neighbourhood where MNA Dr Arif Alvi and MPA Samar Ali Khan are elected from - were security, sanitation and open drains.
The meeting was held at small lawn in Phase VI, where PTI volunteers and activists had set up chairs for the visitors and hoisted party flags. The meeting started with the national anthem and Quran recitation.
The aim of the meeting was to find out what problems the people in this area face and make the people rise to get their problems solved, explained Dr Alvi, while talking to The Express Tribune.
“You need to build a pressure group to solve each of your problems,” he suggested. “We want people to do something on their own and bring their issues to the front.” Dr Alvi discouraged people from sitting silently on their complaints. He pointed out that the PTI team regularly visits other parts of the constituency, NA-250, and listen to people’s grievances. Sunday’s meeting was, however, their first town hall meeting that will be held regularly on the first Sunday of every odd month.
Addressing the gathering, Dr Alvi extended his gratitude to the people for voting for PTI. He assured them they that they will try to resolve their problems. “We want NA-250 to become an exemplary constituency of the city and I need your help and support for this,” he added.
Later, Khan gave a briefing on the projects on health, education and environment that the PTI is working on in the constituency with the help of private funding. They have also identified 42 government schools in NA-250 for improve their toilets and train teachers with the help of the education ministry.
The volunteers placed complaint slips on a table and asked the attendants to write down their complaints. Most of the complaints were related to security and sanitation problems. Dr Shakeel Rizvi, a resident of Phase II Extension, complained about the drains that were built to take rain water directly into the sea but, he said, there are flaws in the design. These drains are now serving as a source of stagnant water and mosquitoes, he said.
A resident of Phase I complained about the increasing number of burglaries and drug addicts, who steal power cables of the Karachi Electric Supply Company, in the vicinity. Salahuddin Khalid, another resident, complained about traffic problems on Khayaban-e-Ittehad on Sundays when many people make their way to Sunday Bazaar.
MPA Khurram Sher Zaman, who was also present in the meeting, assured the people that their issues will be taken up with the relevant authorities and that PTI teams will keep them updated about the progress in fixing their issues.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 6th, 2014.