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Everything is going downhill Everything is going downhill

Ibne Ahmad

Everything has been going downhill. The worst hit is the services which have been deteriorating rapidly in Rawalpindi, feels an eminent social worker of the city, Muhammad Qurban.

“When I came here for the first time, it was a dream city — neat, clean and well maintained. At that time the roads used to be in perfect condition. Potholes were an unheard of. Garbage disposal was very efficient. Vans from the civic authority used to come once or twice a week to pick up garbage from bins at each house. Sweepers used to be very regular in keeping their respective areas neat and clean. But since then, the services have been gradually deteriorating. See the roads. The garbage disposal is atrocious now. There are heaps of debris (Malba) and garbage everywhere. The city is no more the green as it used to be. The trees are now diseased, decaying, and badly pruned. They are being felled with impunity. In fact, deterioration is in every area.”

He said, “I live in National Market vicinity. This sector has witnessed a cancerous growth of encroachments. When we shifted here, there were a handful of auto mechanics in the sector. But their number started swelling and in the past few years, they have not only started overflowing onto footpaths, roads but have also invaded open spaces and reached the residential area. Life has become terrible. No one seems to care a bit.”

The Residents Welfare Associations representations appear to have lost meaning. I agree that there is a population explosion and explosion in the number of vehicles but that does not mean that there should be a haphazard growth and that too in some parts of the city, says Qurban.

Muhammad Kabir, who has been closely associated with the Hospital Welfare Society and other NGOs, feels strongly that ever since the divisions in civic authorities’ powers, basic services have deteriorated far more rapidly than ever before. Frankly, the future of this city will depend upon how responsive the Rawalpindi Administration and the civic authorities are in coming years. If they are able to implement various byelaws and controls, the city will survive. Otherwise, it is heading for chaos.

The population of the city has been increasing rapidly. It may be one of the reasons for chaotic conditions in some of the areas. The slums are multiplying. Though everyone has a right to a decent living but what actually is happening here is unfortunate. People get sites and even houses. They dispose them of and return to old city. It has become a business. Unfortunately, the city has become a haven for encroachers.

Another unfortunate part is that no one is bothered about this deterioration. The bureaucrats, technocrats and politicians are all worried about themselves. A city where services are deteriorating, one hears of special campaigns. Why not make people do their jobs regularly? Why do we have to have special cleanliness campaigns or anti-encroachment campaigns? Wasteful expenditure has been on the increase. One hears of one conference or the other every now and then. These are basically for a select few, may be 5 to 7 per cent of the population of the city. What about the rest?

The people in some areas complain of highly unsatisfactory sanitary conditions. The roads are broken. The storm water drainage system is blocked. The parks and open spaces have become dumping grounds for debris and garbage. The streetlights do not exist. Unfortunately, all this is happening in a planned and controlled city like Rawalpindi, rues Mrs Saahar, a lady doctor. She maintains that the approach of the Engineering Wing of both the City Corporation and the administration is very casual. Until 10 to 15 years ago, whenever there was a road cut or a pothole in the road, the workers would come; clean the pothole with a brush before repairing the patch. The repaired patch used to be rolled subsequently. But now one or two workers with a basket carrying some pre-mix would come, empty the basket on the spot and try to level it with foot. They seldom clear the pothole and no one monitors whether the roads carpeted afresh last their prescribed durations or not.

“From my experience I can say that some of the patches or resurfacing of roads do not last long. For example, come and see the condition of several times repaired patch near Dhoke Hafiz traffic signal. This is why I say everything is going downhill,” concludes Mrs Saahar.