Oozing out gutters, garbage lying all over the streets, eatables being sold without any cover, it is Burns Road. A survey of Burns Road was conducted on Friday which presents a sad picture of the area. Garbage collectors daily visit the area and clean it properly, a sweets seller explained whereas his own workers were sitting on the stairs of a shop and mixing rubri with their bare hands.
No we are following the rules of the health department; health inspector visits the area regularly. Had there been any negation of rules or any hazardous activity, our shops would have been closed by the inspector, a milk vendor said. A heap of garbage was dumped beside the shop and a sewerage line was passing near by. Even yogurt and lassi making pots covered with thin white net clothing were covered with flies and dust.
People were having a meal at a nanbai's shop where a drainage line was dripping continuously but the people were not worried; they were happy to have cheap food items. The buildings of the area are declared dangerous by Karachi Building Control Authority (KBCA). Hundreds of people along with their family members visit the area daily; if any accident occurs it would be very difficult for the rescuers to reach there on time due to congestion.
No shop in the area has any proper emergency exit neither do they have any fire extinguisher. A lot of patharas and thela walas are also selling food items like pani puri, chat, fish fry, samosas, meat balls, and much more. Shopkeepers at least for showing try to cover the edibles but the edibles with the patharas are not covered and are kept in unhygienic pots.
Health inspector visits the area but the shopkeepers give him bribes for obtaining a pass certificate. In most cases it is the inspector who demands money from the shopkeepers. The inspector usually sends his representative to the area to do his job and in rare cases the inspector himself comes for inspection, a shopkeeper on the condition of anonymity said.
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