KARACHI, Jan 7: A major portion of a service road near Hassan Square is being ruined owing to the water leaking from a pipeline. The leakage was not only creating water shortage in the adjacent blocks of Gulshan-i-Iqbal and nearby localities hooked to it , but also causing hindrance in the smooth flow of traffic.

People residing in the adjacent huge housing complex 'Hassan Square' complained that although water had been leaking from the pipeline for more than a week, KWSB officials concerned seem least interested in plugging the leakages despite a number of complaints lodged with them.

"The worst sufferers are the pedestrians, as they have no choice but to wade through the stagnant water on the service road," a resident of Hassan Square complained.

Another resident of the locality apprehended that residents of the localities, hooked to the leaking pipeline, might be getting polluted water. He said one could not rule out the possibility of inundated water entering into the pipeline through leakage points, besides one could also see heaps of soaked garbage all along the pavement.

A visit to the site showed that almost the entire footpath situated along Hassan Square had been heavily encroached upon by the owners of shops and hotels. They have illegally extended the length of their arcades and put up chairs, tables and showcases in front of their establishments, thus leaving literally no space for pedestrians to walk on the footpath.

Moreover, another footpath that bifurcates the University Road with the service road and serves as a bus stop has been illegally occupied by traffic police, who have constructed an office right in the middle of it.