KARACHI, Sept 1: The much-publicized 10-day long cleanliness campaign, which the city district government had launched in coordination with the city’s 18 town administrations’ from Aug 22 to 31, could not yield the desired results owing to different factors.

These factors included the non-provision of dumper/loaders and the committed funds to most of the union councils’, lack of interest in removing encroachments from roads, streets and footpaths of several busy commercial areas, overflowing gutters and the recent rains, as a result of which the cleanliness drive was unofficially put off for couple of days.

A random survey of different parts of the city showed that most of the commercial areas and major thoroughfares remained littered with filth, mainly owing to the presence of a large number of pushcarts and other encroachers.

Pushcarts selling fruit, food items and other merchandise — which had occupied a major portion of busy roads, streets and even pavements — once again proved to be the main hindrance in ensuring cleanliness around several shopping centres, as the owners of pushcarts and even some citizens have developed the habit of throwing decaying fruit and peels on the footpaths and roadsides without realizing that such acts might cause serious injuries to shoppers and pedestrians.

A filthy environment also continued to prevail at a number of commercial areas which include Burnes Road, Haquani Chowk, Nazimabad’s Gol Market, Tariq Road’s commercial area, Karimabad’s Memon Market, Saddar’s Daudpota Road, Preedy Street, Mansfield Street and in the vicinity of Empress Market.

Another main thoroughfare that passes through the Lines Area and which also serves as a link road between Mubarak Shaheed Road and Sindhi Muslim Housing Society, presented the scene of a pool of filthy water, as no efforts were made to remove the water which often remained accumulated there owing to the faulty sewerage system of the locality

The non-provision of the required machineries such as dumper/loader and the funds needed for the maintenance of RCC flooring of pavements and streets to some union councils’ also caused a blow to the cleanliness drive.

Nazim of Jamshed Town’s Union Council No 8, Mehfooz-un-Nabi complained that although the city government had committed to provide dumper loaders and Rs 20,000 to each union council for making the cleanliness campaign a success, the concerned town administration could not make arrangements for the machineries and the committed funds, hence the most congested areas of his constituency which included Jutland Lines, Tunisia Lines, Abysinia Line, Behind and Central Jacob Line remained littered with dirt and filth.

OVERFLOW: Sewage water gushing out from various choked gutters has inundated a portion of main Tariq Road and a number of streets of its adjoining residential area, creating a stinking atmosphere.