OWING to lack of interest on part of city managers, the transport-related problems in Peshawar are complicating with each passing day making life miserable in the provincial capital. Encroachments, mushrooming illegal bus stands and second-rate public transport vehicles have defaced the city. Transportation has emerged as the main civic problem in the city.

The government has failed to establish public transportation system, especially a standard general bus stand outside the city to accommodate all kinds of transport to facilitate commuters.

Peshawar has some official bus stands -- Haji Camp Bus Stand, Bus Terminal, Kohat Bus Stand, Charsadda Bus Stand and Karkhano Markets Bus Stand -- but they are in pathetic conditions. The condition of their bathrooms, waiting rooms, water supply system and benches are indescribable.

A source in the City District Government told Dawn that the General Bus Stand fetched Rs80 million and the Bus Terminal Rs30 million at auctions while all stands fetched about 130 million at annual auctions. But no attention has been given on their maintenance of the bus stands. As per policy, the government was bound to spend on the Bus Terminal at least 40 per cent of the total income, but who cares, he added.

Deputy Director Bus Terminal Najeebullah, when contacted, said that a summary for the maintenance and renovation of the terminal had been given to the district managers. The Bus Terminal was established in 2002 and the government had vowed that proper attention would be paid to its regular maintenance but that proved just hollow claims.

The present miserable condition of the terminal is a live proof of the criminal negligence of the government. The encroachers in connivance with the concerned officials have created more problems, where the cleanliness condition is depressing.

The situation in the rest of the bus stands have worsened to the extent that encroachers have occupied maximum space and passengers can hardly move around. During rains the situation becomes pathetic as sewage and stagnant rainwater remain there for weeks unnoticed. There is no check on the vendors, handcart pushers, owners of the cabins and public call offices either. The security arrangements are very poor and no body feel safe at the bus stands. The police are least interested to keep a check on the movements of suspected people.

The transport problems could not be possibly solved in the near future because the District Council Peshawar during its four-day session spent two days by discussing the issue but failed to reach any conclusion in this regard. Maximum time was given to discuss shifting the bus stands somewhere outside the main population and shifting of transporters from the Bus Terminal to the General Bus Stand or opposite to the Korean Bus Stand, but the council members as per traditions wasted the time in useless discussions.

District Nazim Haji Ghulam Ali and other members of the council also have different views about the shifting of the Bus Terminal. The nazim wants to accommodate the transporters of the terminal somewhere else but the council members opposed it. The transporters have also opposed the district nazim.

President Sarhad Transport Owners Confederation Haji Zahir Shah Yousufzai told this scribe that they would oppose any move to shift the terminal. He accused the district nazim of creating problems for the transporters, saying that they were paying regular taxes and were ready to fully cooperate with the government. “The government should fulfil its duty by providing all facilities at the bus stands and should take action against the encroachers,” he added.

ONCE known for beggar description, the Lal Sohanra National Park has lost its magnetism, scenic beauty and international identity after its lake dried up a couple of years back. Established in 1972 with the nod of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the park’s sole objective was to promote breeding of wildlife, particularly black bucks, for which the help from international donors was also sought.

Only one of its kind in the world, the park has a unique distinction of having three components like desert, green land (forest) and wetland (lake) together at one place. Its Ladamsar lake or fish pond covers an area of 4,780 acres. Rich in variety of fish, the department would earn handsome money with the annual contract of the lake. Adding to the beauty of the lake were the migratory birds that used to flock here from Siberia. The natural habitat of thousands of birds has long been vanished with the deserting of the lake.

The lake would feed through nearby Canal RD-44 on the orders of the governor. In 1997, the irrigation department had discontinued the water supply and that resulted in the extermination of lake’s all the fish variety. The park officials made several attempts to get the water supply restored, but to no avail. The irrigation officials always responded with the reply that the surplus water once supplied to the lake was no more available.

It is learnt that influential landlords and ex-servicemen had piled up pressure on the irrigation department to supply canal water for their newly-allotted lands in the surroundings of the park.

The irrigation department had to succumb to their demand at the cost of wildlife and aquatic life. Since the lake has been devoid of aquatic life, animals can be seen grazing in the large pond. Besides, there are complaints of illegal slaughtering of trees in the park.

District Forest Officer Muhammad Siddique Dogar said that landlords were not allowing the department to supply water to the lake. He said the shortage of staff and forest rangers was the main hurdle in the way of effective supervision of trees being chopped off illegally. Only 16 foresters were on the payroll against the sanctioned posts of 35, he said.

Although vehicles were available for patrolling, the government was not providing adequate fuel so as to keep an effective check on wrongdoings, he said. After 1972, neither any recruitment was made nor any negligent employee was sacked for they used political pressure to intact their jobs, he said.

AWAMI Colony, Bahgdadul Jadid, lacked basic facilities. Residents allege that candidates from union council level to national or provincial assemblies during their election campaign make tall claims of providing every facility, but they never return to the people after their success.

They say even the councillors fail to solve their problem regarding the sewerage. The sewerage lines laid about 20 years ago are in worst state. Heaps of garbage can be seen everywhere, but the TMA sanitary staff takes hardly any pain to remove it. They urge the city tehsil nazim to sanction a special budget for laying new sewerage lines.

The situation in Jaffery Town is no different either as their residents face problems like the non-availability of drinking water, shortage of gas and electricity and the defective sewerage system.

The only road in the town is also in shambles. The town presents a picture of an island due to the accumulation of sewerage water. The people have to send their wards to far-off places to get education in the absence of any school in the locality.

Residents also complain that the TMA ignores their union council in the allocation of development funds. UC nazim Malik Abdul Majid Channar has demanded adequate funds for the provision of basic facilities to his people.