Rickshaw and taxi drivers refuse to use meters and demand exorbitant fare. People say that the fares fixed by the government are too high. Minis Bus commuter do not allow passengers for long routes and they make more money by short routes and often they cut short the full length. They are protected by police and some politicians patronized by transport mafia. Badly educated political activists indulge in wall chalking with provocative slogans against MQM and US even on the houses in posh areas. Flags of the party are installed at public places and that often results in riot.
Illegal power and water connections are rampant in most Kutchie Abadis. Karachi Water Board staff is bribed or threatened and KWSB officers do not get police support. Land mafia has grabbed valuable government and private land by planting professional squatters. The governments has been afraid to take action because of fear of ethnic riots. Karachi’s dynamic city Nazim did not receive support from Home Ministry of the Provincial Government.
Out of some 176 Union Council of the city government hardly 21 belong to other parties than MQM and in most of them people do not pay water and municiple taxes and in fact UC Nazim encourage people not to pay any tax to Karachi Water and Sewerage Board. Some criminals run water hydrants blocking water supply to Industrial areas and posh residential areas and their water tanker business flourishes. Such criminals are protected by the politicians and law enforcement.
In Kutchi abadis all sorts of illegal business are run and militants and smugglers of arms and drugs find it easy to remain in hiding. Police reforms in Karachi are badly needed and their number should be doubled as most of them are duty of security of VIPs leaving common men to take care of themselves and those who can afford hire private security guards and the Security companies are doing roaring business.
- Arif N. Khan
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