Gulistan-e-Jouhar, Karachi, now resembles the 'desert' with mountains of mud, blowing dust around and topsy-turvy roads, because of the dug-up main roads, services roads, traffic island and footpaths. The ill-planned manner in which the whole area around Jouhar Chourangi is being dug-up has made life miserable for hundreds of thousands of citizens.
Residents of blocks-12 to 19, in general, and those living between Jouhar Square and Jouhar Morh, in particular, are the worst hit sufferers.
The Gulistan-e-Jouhar is known as hub of high-rise buildings in Karachi, where the growth of residency rose in numbers but the other developments pertaining to civic amenities are left unattended.
This is only through the shifting of responsibility, because of duality in administrative control, ie partly by the City District Government of Karachi and partly by the Cantonment Board Faisal, (CBF) for whole of Gulistan-e-Jouhar, spread over total 20 huge blocks.
All roads around Jouhar Square have been dug-up. No arrangements have been made for diversion tracks to clear the flow of regular traffic.
The roads between Jouhar Square and Jouhar Morh, already in a dilapidated condition for long, are now in a bad to worse shape.
This whole area is dotted with potholes, broken road pockets, cracks, mountains of mud, dirty sewerage water flowing on the ground and dust blowing over heads.
Vehicles passing over get damaged and tires punctured by the stones scattered all over the main and service roads as a result of uncontrolled digging.
Under Jouhar Square (Chourangi) deep sewerage water flows.
Consequent to the hap-hazard digging of Jouhar square itself, some small rocks are cracked leaving big holes/gaps through which any vehicle can easily slip and drown, causing fatal accidents.
But, neither are they any barricades nor detours placed to safeguard precious lives.
It is highly surprising that no traffic cops are posted as yet to control the flow of vehicular traffic around the Jouhar square. The situation pose a grave danger during the night hours and the possibility of accident cannot be ruled-out.
None of the main/service roads, traffic islands and footpaths, earlier bulldozed, have been levelled and carpeted so far. As a result, residents of this area, as well as passers-by experience inconvenience, requiring immediate remedies.
Development is a welcome step, yet its process should have been so carried out that the routine life of citizens was disturbed to the minimum.
The Governor of Sindh is requested to kindly direct all the concerned authorities to ensure provision of all required safety measures during the entire process of development programme in public interest.