KARACHI, Oct 30: The failure of the city administration to check the air and environmental pollution, particularly on M.A. Jinnah Road, is posing a serious health hazard among people and was causing an adverse impact on patients admitted in a number of hospitals along M.A. Jinnah Road.
The performance of concerned authorities, including traffic police department, environmental protection agency and other departments, is highly deplorable as with the passage of time they appear to be indifferent to the miserable state of affairs and affliction of patients.
The major hospitals on M.A. Jinnah road include Hamdard University Hospital, Seventh Day Hospital, Karachi National Hospital, Karachi Laboratories, Rimpa Plaza, Services Hospital and Civil Hospital.
The free-hand given by the authorities to all kinds of public vehicles, including rickshaws, taxis, minibuses, coaches, trucks, old buses, to create noise and emit smoke creating environmental pollution in Karachi has no precedence as the scale of flagrant violation committed by offending drivers of these vehicles is overlooked by the authorities for the reasons best known to them.
A visit to some of the hospitals revealed that due to noise of blaring horns, the patients admitted are unable to have a sound sleep.
A patient who underwent an operation recently said world over blaring horns near hospitals is strictly prohibited which is implemented by authorities without any discrimination. Moreover, the hospitals are filled with the poisonous smoke emitted by the vehicles particularly during the peak hours adding miseries to the patients.
He said illiterate drivers of public vehicles have least respect for human lives and values as they deliberately honk horns of their vehicles near hospitals.
Another patient commenting over the plight of patients who seek treatment at hospitals situated along M.A.Jinnah Road said unless traffic police department is not transferred to new city government, the inefficient personnel of traffic police would continue to turn a blind eye to the grave human issue by pocketing substantial amount from transporters regularly.
“The rot of noise and environmental pollution has assumed an alarming proportion in Karachi and if remedial measures are not taken, situation may turn from bad to worse,” he said.—PPI
