Karachi: Town in a shambles, complain Gulberg residents

[Naveed Yaseen]

By M. Waqar Bhatti
As compared to the performances of other town administrations in the city, the performance of Gulberg Town administration seems to be poor. The majority of the areas in the town are marred by worst sanitation, poor recreational facilities, faulty sewerage system and a poorly planned road network.

The residents of the town told The News that majority of the people, despite being supporters of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), are disappointed by the performance of the town administration. The locals assert that the approximately 90 per cent of the town’s jurisdiction is in shambles with respect to sanitation, sewerage and infrastructure. Meanwhile, the town administration continues to collect taxes without paying heed to the residents needs. Insofar as recreational facilities are concerned, most parks in Dastgir, Ancholi, and even Gulberg merely serve as open areas without any greenery. The youngsters have also complained about the lack of proper grounds in the town, as they are forced to either use roads or visit other areas of the city to play outdoors.

Several residents of the town alleged that the focus of the town administration is on the places near the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) headquarter ‘Nine Zero.’ “They (town administration) have renovated the famous Jinnah Park, established a new park near Nine Zero and named it after MQM Chief Altaf Hussain’s daughter, while the roads are well maintained only in the same vicinity,” town residents complained.

Meanwhile, an official of the Edhi Centre along the Sohrab Goth flyover, complained about the miserable state of the road network. The official who wished to remain anonymous said that the service road along the centre has been dug up for the last few years, despite the fact that it is part of the Signal Free Corridor II. “The road in front of our centre resembles some muddy track in rural Balochistan,” he said, adding that despite repeated complaints to the town administration, there has been no response. “They take meaningless measures such as filling potholes, but the situation remains the same.”

On the other hand, F.B Area Industrial Zone is also undergoing similar problems. Industrialists claim that the town administration has done nothing in response to complaints about various maintenance problems of the area. “We have often taken up our issues to the high-ups including Sindh Governor, who in turn directed the town authorities to pay heed to our problems. However, the town administration is adamant not to initiate works in our area for reasons best known to them,” some industrialists disclosed.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=158645