01 April 2004	Thursday	10 Safar 1425

KARACHI, March 31: Residents of Mohammadi Colony in Keamari Town have urged the concerned authorities to pay special attention to the multifarious civic problems in their locality.

Situated on the western side of the sea-shore, off Mauripur Road, the colony falls in the jurisdiction of UC-5 of Keamari Town. The residents deplored that the colony had been a victim of neglect for many years.

The colony is dominated by Bengali and Burmese-speaking people engaged in fishing sector. A large number of these people, as well as those migrated to the city from upcountry in the '70s, work at the Karachi Fish Harbour.

Formerly known as Machhar Colony, the locality has no proper drainage system despite the fact the Kalri sewerage drain passes through the same strip of land. Filth and dirt can be seen in every street of the locality as there is no proper arrangement for collecting domestic waste at an specific place.

A resident of the colony told this reporter that the area people had for years been pressing the authorities to pay due attention to their grievances, but the efforts had produce no results so far.

A social worker of the area, Samiul Haq, said the residents had been exposed to serious health hazards owing to poor sanitary conditions. Mohammadi Colony started surfacing on the reclaimed land of KPT in 1970.

It appeared below the mean-sea level, but the residents managed to make it inhabitable after getting internal streets constructed and street lights installed.

Lack of civic facilities has always been the main cause of the miserable living conditions in the locality. Quite a large number of people have been living there under sub-human conditions, according to an NGO activist.