Encroachments

The first recorded use of the phrase ‘working hand in glove’ was in 1664, and it has come to be idiomatic of a nefarious working relationship, a fine example of which is tendered by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC). Encroachments are the bane of the lives of many, and they clog the pavements of all our towns and cities — everything from cars to kitchenware is displayed and are an impediment to free movement. Thus, there are periodic attempts — of varying degrees of determination — to rid the streets of them by municipal authorities. In recent weeks, the KMC has been engaged in a much-trumpeted campaign to rid the city of encroachments — except that it appears to be suffering a selective blindness in respect to some of these encroachments.

Some sites are seemingly invisible to the anti-encroachment squads. This is because encroachments are not free, and somebody is pocketing a hefty bribe to allow them to happen, and that someone is likely to be somewhere in the KMC. Thus it is that ‘profitable’ sites — situated on major roads and thoroughfares — are miraculously spared. The KMC claims this to be ‘unwitting’ which is disingenuous to say the least. A car showroom on one of these major roads was paid a supposedly ‘surprise’ visit last month — but in reality it was forewarned, the encroaching vehicles removed for the duration of the visit and replaced when the squad had gone. When questioned, the KMC anti-encroachment cell director admitted that ‘some’ officials were responsible for the failure of the campaign. There is no reason to suppose that the situation is any different anywhere else in the country such is the spread of corruption in every corner of society. It is difficult to see how matters are to be changed for the better when there is an acceptance that the bribing of corrupt officials, sometimes to the tune of millions of rupees, is considered the norm. The encroachments are as immovable as the mindset of those tasked with their clearance.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 24^th, 2014.

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