Public safety at stake

A latest report has revealed an uptick within the theft of assorted highway objects reminiscent of manhole covers, pedestrian bridge grills, footpath railings, cables of site visitors indicators and development tools throughout Karachi. The surge in theft is a consequence of escalating unemployment and inflation compelling drug addicts and unemployed people to steal these things to extract iron and promote them. Residents and municipal authorities say police negligence has allowed these actions to proceed unabated in broad daylight and at evening.

Whereas these things could appear trivial, they play an important position in making certain public security and sustaining orderliness. Quite a few pedestrians specific considerations concerning the dangers related to pedestrian bridges and staircases with out railings. Malfunctioning site visitors indicators disrupt the circulation of site visitors resulting in site visitors jams and accidents. Other than impacting the day-to-day actions of residents, the fixed alternative of these things incurs important prices amounting to thousands and thousands of rupees for the federal government. In a survey carried out by The Specific Tribune, residents reported that, regardless of informing the police about lacking manhole covers and site visitors cables, the police seldom take the difficulty significantly. The Govt Engineer of the Water Board District East defined that it’s difficult for the police to handle each particular person criticism because of the excessive frequency of such reviews.

Maybe, the police, municipal authorities and public utility firms ought to collaborate to determine a monitoring mechanism, together with a hotline service, enabling individuals to lodge complaints extra successfully. Alternatively, the police ought to take motion in opposition to the shopping for and promoting of these things prohibiting retailers from buying iron extracted from varied sources. Karachi’s residents already deal with many issues; the least these in cost can do is guarantee the provision of fundamental highway objects.

Revealed in The Specific Tribune, December 2^nd, 2023.

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