KARACHI, March 6: The residents of Mubarak village have expressed concern over suspension of work on a dam in the village.
The work was initiated about five months back under the Khushal Pakistan Programme at a cost of Rs4.1 million and the contractor has stopped work without any reason.
The Nazim of UC-8 (Keamari Town), Mubarak Baloch, has lodged a protest against the contractor to the new DCO, Mir Hassain Ali, and said due to acute shortage of water in the area, the residents are forced get it from tankers or women-folk have to travel a long distance for it.
Mubarak Village in the Keamari Town lacks all basic amenities, including water, power, education and health facilities and the continued dry-spell has reduced the residents to meagre livings.
The town nazim, Zulfiqar Younus, has deplored the city government for ignoring the remote areas of Karachi, including the Keamari Town.
The villagers complained that their numerous applications to the KESC and the city government for power connections remain unanswered.
The village is without a jetty for the last 53 years and the fishermen had submitted several applications to the Fishermen Co-operative Society (FCS) for the construction of a jetty at Sonara Point, but no action has, so far, been taken.
The villagers said health and education facilities are non-existent as there is only one primary and a secondary school for boys, that too without basic facilities, whereas a primary school for girls was established four years ago and had remained without a female teacher ever since.
Same is the case with the government secondary school which is without teachers and a primary school-teacher was conducting classes.
No funds have been provided to the school during the last 12 years and the villagers pooled their meagre contributions to keep it running.
As far as the health facilities are concerned, the residents have repeatedly lodged complaints with the authorities concerned, including the town health officer, that the village is without any hospital and a maternity home.
A dispensary, set up about six years ago, is still non-functional due to lack of required medical facilities, including the medical and para-medical staff, whereas there is arrangement to deal with emergency cases.
All emergency cases have to be taken to city hospitals in Kharadar or Mauripur area and Nazim Mubarak Singo has urged the authorities to establish a hospital and maternity home in the village from Khushal Pakistan Programme.—PPI
