| February 04, 2008 | Monday | Muharram 25, 1429 |
Misuse of residential plot
The gas crunch
A KBCA notice appeared in Dawn on April 19, 2007, warning all cooperative housing societies in Karachi not to use residential areas for any other purposes without the permission of the department concerned. Unfair increase Ban on pillion riding
Many people wonder how come artist Naz Ikramullah, who is seen in almost all events related to art and literature, suddenly disappears for months. And then, when people are about to forget her, she surfaces again. I, too, was baffled, until she told me that she spends seven months in Ottawa, Canada, but is back in Karachi from November to the end of March.
Naz was born in London, where her father was posted as the deputy trade commissioner for British India. After Partition, Mr Ikramullah became Pakistan’s first foreign secretary. He built a house in Karachi just across the foreign office, which was then located at the Mohatta Palace.
He later headed Pakistan’s high commissions in London and Ottawa and at one time the embassy in Paris. The family moved with him each time he was transferred. Thus Naz and her siblings were educated in all these cities.
But perhaps more distinguished than anyone in the family was their mother, Begum Shaista Ikramullah, a lady of learning, who spoke impeccable English and Urdu. She was a cousin of former prime minister Hussein Shaheed Suhrawardy. The Suhrawardys were Urdu-speaking Bengalis from Calcutta (Kolkata).
Ikramullah was partly from Bhopal and partly from Benaras (Varanasi), while Naz’s husband Syed Moinuddin Ashraf hailed from Faizabad, near Lucknow. So much has the bilingual Naz Ikramullah been particular about the purity of languages that she sent her daughter to study at Aligarh for four years.
Naz, who will be exhibiting her latest canvases at Chawkandi in early March — her 18th solo exhibition — studied painting at the Byam Shaw School of Art in London and later studied printmaking, specialising in lithography, at the Slade School of Fine Arts in the same city. She has lectured at the NCA in Lahore and at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture here in Karachi, but when she is in the Canadian capital she teaches painting and printmaking at the Ottawa School of Art for at least a semester every year.
Does she feel lonely in Karachi? “Most certainly not. I have so many friends here, and that includes some I have been close to for years,” she said. One reason she doesn’t spend winter in Ottawa is that due to the harsh weather, people don’t generally socialise. They only leave the warmth and comfort of their houses when absolutely necessary.
“What, then, is your home: Karachi or Ottawa?” I queried.
“Do you, as a Karachian, want to get an answer that will please you or do you want to know the fact?” she said, sporting a disarming smile. Before I could make a choice she proceeded, “well, they are both my homes. I have friends there and here alike.” All I can be sure of is that she wasn’t being evasive or diplomatic.
But a day after I meet her she should be in Mumbai, where she has a cousin and where she hopes to meet writer-poet-filmmaker Gulzar, whose films she has enjoyed all these years. She will then go to Delhi, before flying back to Karachi.—Asif Noorani
All in a day’s routine
Karachi should be declared one of the wonders of the world for it is nothing less than a wonder how the denizens of this mega-metropolis survive on a daily basis. Whether it is winter or summer, Karachians have to brave not only the elements but everything else conceivable.
Take, for example, my own particular life: Despite staying up till the late hours of the night being a part of the journalist fraternity, and, of course, my age, I still wake up bright and early in the morning and wish to freshen up as quickly as possible. The moment I enter the washroom and turn on the taps I am greeted by a hissing sound. Fearing that a snake has crept in, I am momentarily startled only to discover, to my amusement, that the hissing sound is emanating from the tap as there is no water.
Oh well, the usual wait for the tanker and the pump machine to be cranked up, I switch on the television to catch the early morning news. No sooner I switch on the TV and kaput -- the electricity goes off. For the life of me I cannot understand what lingering old grudge the KESC has against the Tauheed Commercial area, where I live. People ask me how often the electricity goes out, to which I retort, ‘please ask how often it comes on.’
For most people with families I believe gas is in short supply these days which, luckily, I have little use of.
Anyway, having survived the morning problems and taking my morning or rather afternoon shower, I am aghast at the quality of water being provided on a daily basis. It is brackish, filthy and sometimes extremely unhygienic, but what can poor souls like me do?
Then it is the time to go to the office, in my particular case. Being slightly on the corpulent side I usually try to walk as much possible if time permits.
The problem, of course, is that some parts of Karachi are like a battle zone with dugouts, excavated land, potholes, ruts etc. Sometimes I think that in case of war the army already has a lot of built-in trenches, courtesy the city government.
The major disadvantage of walking is that invariably one is accosted by not one or two, but an entire horde of beggars, with each supplicating for alms in their own persuasive manner and style. Fearing that I will burn in hell, I usually part with my meagre pocket change to the first one or two.
Ah yes, I forget to mention the open manholes of Karachi … a sight to behold in itself. I often contemplate that these manholes will one day devour me, knowing how clumsy I can be.
While on the subject of commuting to work, I do sometimes build up the nerve of taking public transport. The buses and wagons being death-traps I condition myself to being suffocated, elbowed, stepped on, abused and told ‘Agay jao agay jao.’
Taxis are beyond my budget, whereas rickshaws are within range. But here I have to exercise my negotiating skills as the rickshawala always has an edge over me. These days haggling starts with the lament that LPG prices are soaring and the cost of living is rising (only for these chaps and not for poor souls like me). The oft-repeated excuse is that the particular route in question has severe traffic jams and that is why the extra charge is being levied. Another amusing excuse: Saab, wahan se sawari nahin milti (there are no passengers from that place), so I have to make up for the loss.
Once having reached the confines of my office I breathe a sigh of relief for here there are no power outages, no water problems with subsidized food and tea. On the return home I get the company transport, but wonder if electricity will greet me at home. Oh well … all in a day’s routine!—Syed Ali Anwer
Compiled by Syed Hassan Ali
Email: karachian@dawn.com
SIR,
We would like to inform the relevant authorities that the following residential plot, House No 228, Faran Society, main Haider Ali Road, Karachi, is being used illegally for holding marriages and other functions on a rental basis.
This has created lots of problems for residents of the area, such as heavy aerial firing at 2-3am. The situation is especially unbearable for school-going children.
We request the authorities concerned to kindly look into this matter and take action against those owners using residential plots illegally for holding functions, thus making life miserable for residents.
Residents of Haider Ali Road
SIR,
The CDGK is demanding from the Sindh government control of property taxes and some other provincial taxes. The Sindh government must deny this to them. What they want, in fact, is greater financial control of Sindh.
Have a look at their record. As it is, most of the roads are dug up or in disrepair, sewers are overflowing all over the city while storm-water drains are broken and left open, endangering the lives and health of citizens.
On top of this, they have increased, in one fell swoop, the ground rent from 25 paisas per square yard to Rs6 per square yard, per annum.
This is daylight robbery, because the CDGK renders no service against this tax and therefore it is illegal and unconstitutional for them to demand. This drastic increase was neither notified nor was the public taken into confidence.
Also, when the residents of Clifton requested the CDGK to expedite the covering of a storm drain, they demanded Rs500,000 from the home owners of the area. Why? Because the area does not vote for a certain political party. I pity the Karachians if they want this kind of leadership.
M. AFZAL
Clifton
Victim of land-grabbers
SIR,
I am a victim of land-grabbers. I had obtained a plot (No Funder Allotment No 1863/258/Land/Site) in March, 1992, in Site, but it was never actually handed over to me, which adversely affected my business activities.
The case was at that time being handled by several authorities, including the National Accountability Bureau, but nothing came out of it. Once the provincial government informed me that I would be given possession of an alternative plot, but this, too, was allotted to another party.
A letter from the Prime Minister’s Secretariat issued on March 14, 1995, directed the then chief secretary of Sindh to address my grievances.
Letters were also written by me to the president, governor, chief minister, chief secretary, chairman NAB, DG NAB Sindh and managing director Site, though I have not received any response.
Certain elements within the Sindh Industrial Trading Estate have kept creating problems for me, favouring businessmen of their choice.
I am 68 years old and suffering from diabetes and blood pressure. I would be much obliged if the authorities concerned could please redress my grievances.
ABDUL KHALIQ SOOMRO
Sole proprietor of Soomro & Sons
SIR,
I was recently robbed by two people riding a motorcycle while I was parking my car near my home. Close to Ashura, the authorities banned pillion riding fearing terrorist attacks and security was onhigh alert on the 9th and 10th of Muharram. Resultantly, all went well in Karachi.
Why couldn’t these measures be taken before as well? It seems the authorities react only when something bad happens. In the pre-election and post-election days pillion riding should remain banned. This small measure would keep people safe from criminals.
DR SYED ASIF ALI
Via e-mail
Killer speed-breaker
SIR,
I would like to draw the attention of the CDGK to the speed-breaker near the Noorani Baloch Hotel. Instead of being a source of safety, it itself is a hazard. Because of this speed-breaker, over 300 people have been seriously injured and one person has been killed.
When the UC-2 Nazim, Akram Memon, was approached about the matter, he said he had submitted an application to the Civic Centre. I also called the ‘1239’ helpline on Dec 15 and they gave me complaint number 1975, but nothing has come out of it.I request the city nazim to take action regarding this matter as quickly as possible.
SALEEM BALOCH
Karachi
Dead telephones
SIR,
My telephone numbers (461-9502 and 462-0840) have been dead for the last seven months. Numerous complaints have been registered, but there has been no remedy. I have also personally spoken to the DE of the Gulistan-i-Jauhar Exchange, who assured me of doing the needful immediately. Thereafter, two months have passed but no action has been taken.
Meanwhile, the PTCL has been sending me telephone bills continuously, which I have paid up to Nov, 2007, in the hopes that my telephones would be put in order, but nothing has happened so far.
I request the PTCL authorities to kindly look into the matter and put my telephones in complete working order, or else I should be provided wireless sets in lieu of my dead telephones, while the payments I have already made to the PTCL for the period my phones have remained dead should be adjusted.
LUTFULLAH KHATRI
Karachi
city@dawn.com
NASREEN, wife of a former federal civil servant, is thankful that her late husband did not jump on the bandwagon to convert their Suzuki FX into CNG at the turn of the 21st century when many of their relatives and friends did so.
The conventional wisdom then was that there was plenty of natural gas to satisfy demand - a clean and cheap fuel which could also reduce our oil imports. Many vehicle owners, unlike Nasreen’s late husband, bought the gas story hook, line and sinker and switched their cars to CNG as a fuel, forking out some Rs25,000 then for each CNG converter kit, as CNG stations started mushrooming in the twin cities.
The truth about our natural gas market is now apparent. Finding CNG fuel in the twin cities became even harder for many motorists recently after over 90 CNG outlets out of the over 350 in the twin cities were temporarily closed because of natural gas shortage. This left motorists hunting for open stations, then facing lengthy lines when they find one.
The troubles of CNG users may only have just begun. A recent report indicating that plans are afoot to bring the prices of CNG on par with petrol can only portend more bad news for CNG users.
We had earlier taken pride in being ranked third in the world for using CNG, Pakistan being one of the three countries in the world with more than one million environment-friendly CNG vehicles on the road, behind Brazil and Argentina. An efficient fuel, natural gas also meets more than 50 per cent of our energy needs, as compared to the global average of 23 per cent, with power generation being the largest consumer followed by fertiliser, household and transport or vehicles.
But what good is all this when our more than one million vehicle owners are now finding it difficult to fill up their tanks, and thousands of households are being deprived of the right to heat up their homes in the bitter winter or even cook their food because of low gas pressure and gas loadshedding in many localities?
A similar natural gas crunch had occurred exactly two years ago hitting CNG stations, as well as households, businesses, factories and power plants, but blame for the shortage then was put on insurgent attacks on Sui gas pipelines and plants in Balochistan.
The question that naturally arises in the minds of many in the wake of the latest gas crisis is why did we promote the use of CNG and encourage vehicle owners, utilities, businesses and industries to shift to natural gas, and then fail to ensure sufficient and uninterrupted supply of the fuel? Why didn’t we anticipate this situation and be prepared to deal with it?
That natural gas isn’t the panacea that many promoted several years ago may be obvious to many gas users only now, but earlier problems with supply, especially in winters, was already evident in the fact that many industrial users with interruptible gas supply contracts have had to switch to other energy sources or even shut down operations when gas demand rose in winters and supply was tight.
There had been warnings of impending gas shortfalls but we appear to have no coherent direction on how we should meet these shortfalls. Some local experts advocate opening up Balochistan province for exploration, removal of restrictions on natural gas production and restructuring the gas pricing mechanism. Others seem to prefer imports, projecting that we would need gas imports by 2012 if not by 2010 to meet demands.
On the one hand, however, prospects of new exploration and gas production projects remain bleak in restive Balochistan; on the other hand proposed pipeline projects importing gas from Qatar, Turkmenistan and Iran remain pipe dreams.
Another proposed plan to increase our supply of gas is imports through Port Qasim where two floating and one shore-based liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals are expected to be established, a plan which can only jack up the prices of natural gas given the more expensive, capital-intensive nature of the liquefaction process.
While waiting for these plans to materialise, however, it falls upon us to efficiently manage the gas supplies that we have. Since gas is widely used to heat homes and run kitchen appliances to cook food, it should be preserved for that purpose, while its use as a fuel for cars and industry should be curtailed and its use as a fuel to fire electricity-generating power plants ought to be forbidden.
There is no doubt that the longer-term solution ‘short of weaning all our homes, vehicles and businesses off gas and building coal-fired power plants, hydroelectric dams, wind farms or even nuclear power stations’ is to find more gas, whether at home in Balochistan or through imports from abroad.
Otherwise, the ambitious development projects throughout the country in general and in Islamabad in particular, like the proposed new industrial estate, new residential sectors, the new GHQ and other large energy-consuming projects like the Centaurus and Pims Medical Tower, will only serve to choke us further rather than move us towards progress and prosperity.
Not only households, vehicle owners, transporters and businesses in the twin cities have been feeling the pinch of the gas shortage this winter but the gas crisis, together with the electricity shortage, has also dented the main industry in the capital, the 350 steel rerolling and 120 melting factories, which reportedly were forced to suspend operations recently.