Denial of Umra tickets
By Majeed Gill
HUNDREDS of intending pilgrims were unable to perform Umra due to the step-motherly treatment meted out to Bahawalpur by PIA this season. According to affectees, they made frantic efforts to secure seats in flights for which they approached the PIA district booking office and private travel agencies. But they could not be provided seats despite valid documents.
This is not the first time that majority of the intending pilgrims have been refused PIA tickets for Umra. The same practice had happened in the past denying them the facility to travel to Makkah.
Dawn has learnt that since Bahawalpur is categorised among the small cities and its inhabitants are not as resourceful as those of the big cities, they were refused PIA Umra tickets. The bulk of such tickets went to people of the big cities with connections to high-profile people.
It is pity that the government and institutions like the national carrier always exploit the name of south Punjab. But the fact was that Bahawalpur which was an important part of this region always suffered at the hands of government functionaries.
PIA claims that Umra tickets for the people of south Punjab were plentiful. This claim could be true in respect of Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan but in the case of Bahawalpur thousands of desirous people are still distraught over the apathy and favoritism of responsible government officials. In the circumstances, the local population was justified in demanding that a separate quota for the residents of Bahawalpur should be reserved by PIA during the Umra season and that the federal government should consider their plea favourably so that no one could undermine this right in future.
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A LARGE number of old and worn out currency notes are in circulation here. Ordinary people, traders, industrialists and government employees face hardships when the local banks refuse to provide them with new currency notes. A delegation of Bahawalpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry, led by its president Chaudhry Abdul Jabbar, met State Bank chief manager Mir Jatt the other day and apprised him of the urgent need of supplying new currency notes to banks. They narrated the ordeal of getting new currency notes from banks. They informed him that with the start of new cotton season they have to make payments to the growers and their employees, so they needed new currency notes of all denominations.
Meanwhile, public circles have complained that there was also a shortage of coins of five, two and one rupee denomination. This was creating problems for the people of middle and poor classes. The State Bank also provides coins of all denominations in large quantity to all local banks to meet the demand.
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OWING to the negligence of TMA officials, scores of localities were without streetlights in the city. In addition gutters were overflowing and sanitation was poor in various streets and mohallas, creating hardships for the people. Most areas remained in darkness as either their tube lights were out of order or fused and the staff of the respective union councils seemed unconcerned about rectifying the fault.
Particularly, the people faced difficulty during Taraveeh and Sehri time. Besides, anti-social elements taking advantage of the darkness, committed crime and deprived the people of their belongings. The darkness also increased accidents causing deaths. This situation demands that the TMA officials should realise their responsibilities towards the common people and provide bulbs and tubes for lighting in streets and roads.
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PUNJAB Governor Khalid Maqbool has observed that the Islamia University could play an effective role in projecting the area’s culture. Talking to students and teachers at Abbasia campus during his recent stopover on his way back to Lahore from Lodhran, the governor said this object could be achieved by organising international and national conferences and seminars to acquaint the whole world with the beauty of Cholistan and Seraiki culture. He exhorted the teachers to inculcate the spirit of self-confidence in the students.
On the occasion, vice-chancellor Prof Dr Belal Khan apprised the governor, who is also chancellor of the university, of the pace of development of the university.
