Watch your step: Hundreds of manholes lie uncovered in city

Police say efforts to catch buyers of stolen lids usually met with protests.

PESHAWAR: Pedestrians in the city must tread carefully as hundreds of manholes lie uncovered, their iron lids stolen with alarming regularity.

The Express Tribune has learnt Municipal Corporation Peshawar (MCP) seems powerless to stop the theft and perhaps more importantly, unable to replace the lids. In September, the government outsourced the city’s municipal services’ management to a private firm.



It was discovered that the record itemizing covers for manholes in the city are missing and the district’s municipal administrator Rashid Ahmad Khan had formed a committee on April 18, 2014 to launch an inquiry. However, almost six months have passed and the facts are yet to be submitted, said an MCP official, requesting anonymity.

According to Rashid, municipal authorities, in collaboration with the police, are trying to put an end to this menace, but are struggling as the culprits are difficult to trace. He reiterated that the task of garbage collection and sanitation was handed over to Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar (WSSP), a private company, on September 11, 2014. Rashid added the company is also responsible for the removal of encroachments and restoring the main canal of Shahi Katta.

Gulbahar SHO Zafar Khan told The Express Tribune the police conducted raids to catch the buyers of these stolen lids, but protests against police teams at marketplaces made the task more difficult. It was the same as when efforts were made to apprehend buyers of stolen cell phones and vehicle parts, he added. The SHO has asked traders’ associations to cooperate with the police to rid society of “black sheep”.

Residents of as many as 10 union councils have registered complaints against missing manhole covers.

WWSP

The logistics or the workflow of WSSP was discussed at a briefing at the CM Secretariat on September 13. It was stated there that solid waste from the five canals passing through Peshawar will be extracted to improve sanitation.

A comprehensive process of sewerage and sanitation will begin in the union councils falling between GT Road, Ring Road and Charsadda Road, read a handout issued after the briefing.

WSSP CEO Naeem had announced that a specific SMS code will be introduced so people will be able to report municipal problems and identify specific areas that require attention via text message.

In an effort to improve sanitation, the Peshawar High Court, on May 16, 2013, directed the provincial government remove encroachments around Shahi Katta, a 19th century drainage system, and restore its main canal.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 21^st, 2014.