| June 23, 2008 | Monday | Jamadi-us-Sani 18, 1429 |
Lack of playgrounds
Pata women yet to benefit from new laws
Have lift, will travel
The sizzling summer brings with it an abundance of fruit that the region is known for like mangos, chikoos, apricots, falsas, jamuns et al. But none seem to match the glory of the ripe and juicy mangos. They are seen as a form of respite from the horribly hot summers that Karachians have to endure.
The fruit has ruled the markets over the last many decades. For instance, the Sindhri is exported to over 57 countries, which speaks volumes of its quality and popularity across the world. To get even better quality and boost exports, every summer mango festivals are organised. The first mango show was held at the Government Comprehensive Middle School, Mirpurkhas, in 1965 when around two dozen varieties of mangos were put on display. The festival was inaugurated by the then governor of West Pakistan, Malik Amir Mohammad Khan. The festival has continued annually since then.
For its amazing whiff and taste, people used to take mangos with them for friends and relatives in the past. Though the mango game remains the same, certain new dynamics had been introduced in it. Now people have started sending mangos through courier services in order to express their love and affection for friends or family. At homes or offices, people get the summer gift, sometimes even from unknown friends as the practice has gone beyond the domain of friends and family. The fruit has become more of a tool to interact and socialize for many.
In the realm of politics, for instance, mango parties are arranged where selected guests are invited. The political grapevine discloses that most decisions are taken in these mango fiestas, where the significant political players get together and the discussions twirl easily from debating the best quality of mangos yielded from different areas to the best political moves for the current scenario.—MJ
Summer school
When I was a schoolboy many eons ago, I distinctly remember that I used to spend my summer holidays playing hockey, cricket, reading and later in the evenings watching the only channel available in those times. The concept of summer camps was not even in our lexicon.
Fast forward to present day Karachi and it seems Karachians have a whole variety of healthy and creative entertainment for their children during the summer vacations. The idea or concept of summer camps started in the nineties when, as is our habit of aping the West, summer camps or schools started springing up.
Children, especially those between the ages of eight and 16, are simply bubbling with energy for which they need an outlet and a two-month furlough from school is too much time to be cooped up in the house.
These days with both parents usually working, such camps are necessary where, under the supervision of qualified people, children engage themselves in whatever suits their liking such as swimming, martial arts, outdoor games as well as indoor games. The creative among them go for painting or sculpture while others indulge in singing, music or language courses.
Unfortunately, not everyone can afford these camps but Karachians are very lucky for a local NGO has inaugurated its summer camps in 18 different areas for thousands of schoolchildren last week. The heartening feature of all this is that it has opened camps in the poor areas of the city such as Lyari and New Karachi.
So kids, have a ball while school’s out.
—Syed Ali Anwer
Time crunch
Numerous changes are taking place in the country while we attempt to ‘conserve energy.’ Shutting down the markets by 9pm is one of them. Initially, I was under the assumption that this is never actually going to be followed or that it would start with a bang and end with a whimper. A recent downtrodden shopping trip, however, proved me wrong.
Efforts towards a cause must always be appreciated but at the same time, they must also be considerate towards the public. Load-shedding is continuing just as much, but when it comes to the markets and bazaars, shutters start dropping even before 9pm. Some of the little pharmacies and general stores have remained defiant but for the most part, shopkeepers are playing by the rules. The streets in Zamzama are eerily dark much earlier than we are accustomed to and bigger plazas like the Forum have been over-efficient and start closing down even before the decided time. Conforming to a new set of rules may be hard but so far, it’s being executed well considering the rebellious public we are. However, this leaves one problem: what are working women supposed to do?
A 9 to 5 job is a myth in the working world and everyone who has trudged on for hours after 5pm can vouch for that. Women have become active in the banking, corporate and media sector, and these jobs often require them to put in extra hours at work. And so, women who may want to make a stop at a bazaar after work or take the kids out for a quick stroll at a shopping centre are going to be disappointed to find these places closed for the day.
With people often returning home from work around 7pm and the markets closing down by 9pm, it doesn’t leave much time for the career woman, who will probably have to dodge traffic and drive at warp speed in order to get a quality hour or even less at the market. Taking a day off work to go buy a new suit or pair of shoes is not an option.
So once again, what are working women supposed to do?—Shyema Sajjad
Women’s woes
Women comprise more than half of the country’s population but they are economically and politically handicapped by the entrenched feudal system and religious fundamentalists, particularly in rural Sindh.
In this situation, the initiative taken by the government for the allotment of land to women, especially widows, is heartening to say the least. In the new budget presented by the chief minister last week, there is a provision for the allotment of government land to widows and daughters to strengthen them economically.
This is no less than a revolutionary step in the context of rural Sindh, where a woman is treated no more than a commodity that can change hands if the head of a family desires so in lieu of loans, compensation or retribution for a crime committed by male members of the family.
Women contribute substantially to the agricultural sector, yet the importance of women’s roles in rural development is not generally recognized. Women normally work for 16 hours, including household and field duties, as well as fetching drinking water and fuel for cooking. Their subordinate position limits their access to and control over resources and benefits.
However, the land allotment policy with its implementation would prove a milestone in granting property rights to women, which may bring a semblance of respect for them in the family and help in checking the discriminatory treatment meted out to the fairer sex.
This step is in line with the women’s empowerment policy of the Pakistan People’s Party that can rightly claim to give the Muslim world its first woman prime minister, the first women’s bank, and the country its first woman speaker of the National Assembly.
Now it is hoped the allotment of agricultural land in the name of the widow or daughter of the tiller would go a long way in changing our attitudes towards women.
—Habib Khan Ghori
Compiled by Syed Hassan Ali
Email: karachian@dawn.com
Sir,
I am a resident of apartments situated in Block 14, Gulshan-i-Iqbal behind the Civic Centre. A few weeks ago a new road was constructed behind Civic Centre. This road facilitates the area residents very much by shortening the distance to the main road. The other road which leads to the main road is not in good condition.
But some people have placed concrete pipes on the turning of this road and made it impassable for vehicular traffic. The reason for this closure is that the children of nearby apartments play cricket here.
This problem points to the lack of playgrounds in our city. Playing on roads is not only dangerous for the children but also for passers-by. I request the CDGK, which has done some tremendous work in our city, to consider developing proper playgrounds.
ASAAD JAFRI
Gulshan-i-Iqbal
Inaccessible officials
Sir,
With reference to the news item titled ‘Phones out of order’ published in Dawn on May 11, I must say that the PTCL is in a terrible mess. No one tends to complaints. Even the director of the telephone department at the Gulistan-i-Jauhar exchange notes down the faulty telephone numbers every day, but the numbers are not repaired.
No one listens to complaints in the KWSB either. People are treated like livestock. Even the city nazim is inaccessible as no one can meet him.
Pervez Musharraf has miserably failed in introducing accountability and accessibility to the people.
ATHER HUSAIN ZAID
Via e-mail
Hidden charges
Sir,
We had booked plots in a project located at a relatively far-away place near the Northern Bypass.
The sole reason was that the cost of around Rs700,000 was to be paid in easy instalments. The offer document had complete details of how many instalments had to be paid and how.
All of a sudden a payment notice for ‘internal development charges’ was issued, which was mentioned nowhere in the offer document. We are being charged at a much higher rate of Rs1,000 per square yard only for water, sewerage and road infrastructure.
Being citizens of limited income, we wanted to build some property for our children and thus selected a far-away place, while it was very difficult for us to pay instalments.
This is a total fraud and unacceptable as the instalment we were paying was the most we could take out from our budget. This sudden increase is out of proportion.
It has become a common practice for societies and developers to lure people with easy instalments printed boldly in the advertisements. But later one finds out that the actual payment is much higher.
Still, this kind of illegal activity has perhaps been witnessed for the first time, where charges for development are being levied at the rate of Defence and Clifton, whereas this piece of land is located 20km from Sohrab Goth.
SALEEM MAHMOOD,
Naved Baig, Mohammad Aqil, Khawaja Kashif
Via e-mail
Power outages
Sir,
Over the past few days, our area has been experiencing power outages for as much as 10 hours a day. Sometimes the power goes out for five hours at a stretch. This is also severely affecting the water supply situation.
The authorities concerned are asked to do the needful and help end our misery.
M. ABBAS QURESHI
Sheet 27, Model Colony
Security plan for Mazar
Sir,
This refers to the news item ‘20 troopers posted at Mazar-i-Quaid’ (June 12). Services of the Rangers have been acquired on a temporary basis and they would be sent back once the new security plan is in place.
The need for a new security plan for Quaid’s Mazar was felt by the government after the tragic incident at the mausoleum on March 15, in which a girl was gang-raped by the security personnel posted at the mausoleum.
The Quaid’s mausoleum is a public place where thousands of people come from morning till late at night to pay homage to the father of the nation. In addition, it is also an attraction for tourists. VVIPs, VIPs and foreign dignitaries also visit as and when they come to the metropolis. Therefore, there is a need to prepare a comprehensive security plan covering all aspects of security. The plan should meet the following requirements:
a) Physical security plan of the Quaid’s mausoleum showing number of guard posts and patrols.
b) Security standing orders for Mazar-i-Quaid.
c) Contingency plans for fire emergency, bomb threat management and evacuation plan and riot situation/mob attack.
d) Number and types of security personnel and their training plan.
It is suggested that for preparing a security plan of Quaid’s Mazar, the services of a security expert should be hired.
SQN LDR(R) S. AUSAF HUSAIN
Karachi
Appeal to court
Sir,
I had a dispute of rent with Mr Mirza Kazim Baig. The justification of court/degree was accorded in my favour by Mr Memon (Karachi City Lower Court).
Now, two-and-a-half years have passed but Kazim Baig did not vacate my home. I have learnt that Mr Kazim Baig expired as soon as he received the justification of court/degree. Now, when I go to court and meet my advocate, I am told that another vacation order petition will have to be filed and then the court will request the nearest police station to kindly arrange vacation of the house.
I request the court authorities to kindly ask for vacation of the house along with the justification of court/degree so that both things are done at one time and the complete objective of the petition is achieved.
SYED WASIM AHMAD
Karachi
city@dawn.com
THE previous government had introduced three laws for safeguarding the rights of women. These laws were aimed at checking the practice of honour killing and inhuman customs of swara and vani, allowing bail to women in most of the offences and amending the Offence of Zina (Enforcement of Hudood) Ordinance so as to stop its misuse.
While the women in rest of the country could avail the benefits provided under these laws, the women in Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (Pata) have still been deprived of these benefits as these laws have not been extended there under the constitution.
Legal circles here dealing with such cases claim that they have been facing problems in dealing with cases of honour killing, fornication and swara etc due to non-implementation of the three laws in Pata. Sometime, they claim, they hoodwink the courts when presiding officers are not aware of this fact, whereas mostly the courts decline to provide them any relief due to non-extension of laws.
Pata enjoys special status under Article 247 of the Constitution. These areas consist of seven districts -- Swat, Shangla, Chitral, Buner, Malakand, Upper and Lower Dir -- and tribal areas of Mansehra and Kohistan. The said article provides that no Act of Parliament or a provincial assembly shall apply to Pata unless the governor, with prior approval of the president, directs so. Normally, the governor issues a notification for extending any law to the Pata.
The previous government first introduced the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act (Act No 1 of 2005) which is commonly known as the Honour Killing law. The bill was first passed by National Assembly on Oct 26, 2004 and then by the Senate on Dec 7, 2004. It appeared in the official gazette on Jan 11, 2005.
Through that law various amendments were made in the Pakistan Penal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code with the objective to check those provisions which supported the offenders in honour-related offences. For the first time a definition of the honour-related crimes has been incorporated in the PPC, which states: “Offence committed in the name or on the pretext of honour means an offence committed in the name or on the pretext of karo kari, siyah kari or similar other customs or practices.”
That law also provided that no officer below the rank of the superintendent of police shall investigate the offence against a person charged under the Blasphemy law. Similarly, it provided that no officer below the rank of a superintendent of police shall investigate an offence wherein a woman is charged under the Zina Ordinance nor such an offender shall be arrested without permission of the court.
Similarly, the inhuman practice of giving females to rival groups in marriages for settling blood feuds was also declared a penal offence punishable up to ten years rigorous imprisonment. Various cases were reported during last few years when persons involved in giving girl-child in swara to rivals and jirga members were allowed bail for the reason that the law was not extended to Pata despite more than three years have passed.
The second law is the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Ordinance, 2006, dealing with granting of bail to female offenders. That ordinance was first promulgated on July 8, 2006, and subsequently re-promulgated in March 2007 and July 2007. That ordinance provided that women are entitled to be released on bail except in offences related to terrorism, financial corruption and murder.
While women in rest of the country could apply for bail on the sole ground of the said ordinance, the females charged in any offence in Pata could not avail these benefits. Similarly, The Protection of Women (Criminal Laws Amendment) Act, 2006, commonly known as the women Protection Act was given assent by the President of Pakistan on Nov 30, 2006, after it was passed by National Assembly and Senate. Despite the passage of more than one-and-a-half year the law has yet to be extended to Pata.
Through that law drastic changes were made in the controversial Offence of Zina (Enforcement of Hudood) Ordinance, 1979, and adultery and fornication are turned into non-cognisable offences. Now under the law a complaint has to be filed before the concerned court which has to decide to initiate proceedings in the case if sufficient evidence is available.
APARTMENT or flat living in Islamabad is becoming an increasingly popular form of accommodation in recent years, despite the collapse of the Margalla Towers in the October 2005 earthquake.
With the high land prices in Islamabad, these multi-storey homes sprouting up most visibly in G-11 and F-11 sectors are much sought after by accommodation hunters.
There are also multi-storey housing complexes in other sectors like F-10, G-8 and G-7.
One important issue of apartment living is the reliability of the building’s lift service, which provides an essential means of access to modern buildings.
It is not only a matter of whether there are enough lifts in a building to cope with the flow of people at busy times, but more important, how well this form of vertical transportation is maintained.
Poorly maintained and serviced lifts can make apartment living a nightmare. Increasingly frequent complaints by residents of apartments in some sectors like G-11 and G-8 about non-repair of out-of- service lifts and frequent lift breakdowns, including sudden breakdowns which trap passengers inside, reflect the standards of lift maintenance in many housing complexes.
Early this month one of these poorly maintained lifts reportedly crashed down into the basement injuring one resident.
Other complaints are long wait times and slow performance, both indications that the lift control system has developed problems. Other faults include mechanical defects that allow the lift door at one floor to open while the lift car is at the upper floors or moving, and lift cars that fail to properly level at stops.
Apart from poor maintenance, load-shedding, high temperatures, dirt and humidity are factors that can cause frequent lift breakdowns.
The lift system, as with other equipment in buildings, is sensitive to the quality of power. Any modification to the system voltage or the shape of the wave form of the alternating current can interfere with the operation of the equipment or cause damage.
As the temperatures increase in summer, so does the chances of breakdown caused by overheating, a common problem with elevator installations.
With the increasing number of high-rise residential and commercial complexes being built in Islamabad, and thus more and more lifts operating in buildings transporting hundreds if not thousands of people vertically up and down every day, we will need to regularise the installation, maintenance and performance of lifts to ensure a satisfactory level of maintenance and to improve their safety.
Imposing compulsory periodic maintenance and checks by specialised lift maintenance organisations on the basis of schedules established by the city authorities is a common measure adopted by high-rise cities elsewhere in Asia and Europe to ensure comfort and safety in elevator rides.
In addition to this, some cities have even adopted live tele-monitoring of lifts. Under this system, the state of thousands of lifts - especially in publicly built residential buildings - are monitored from a centralised master station for events such as breakdowns and trapped passengers.
The lift maintenance companies are automatically notified of any problem and in most cases, repairs are carried out even before a complaint is received. This not only results in better lift performance but also enables the building maintenance crew to pinpoint areas and improve the method of maintenance.
This system also helps to counter vandalism in lifts, which is a common phenomenon in high-rise housing. While it is impossible to prevent all vandalism in elevators, several steps can be taken to reduce the frequency and impact of vandalism, e.g., by installing vandal resistant interiors and control panels in the lift cars.
Ensuring that the elevator control system is operating properly also helps to counter vandalism because long wait times and long travel times can produce frustration that spurs incidents of vandalism.
A well-known high-rise city in the US has even adopted an aggressive elevator maintenance enforcement programme to crack down on buildings with chronic elevator problems and ensure safe and reliable lift service.
The programme forces owners to perform timely elevator maintenance or else face tens of thousands of dollars in penalties for failing to do so. The fine penalties are imposed per day for each day that a lift remains out of service, which could quickly amount to tens of thousands of dollars if the violations are not quickly addressed.
Under this programme, residential buildings with chronically defective lifts are also listed on a website as part of a shame campaign to force building owners to return their elevators to service.
The ten worst offenders are pursued under the programme. As the owners of these buildings bring their lifts into compliance, new ones are identified and added to the list of worst offenders.
As Islamabad becomes increasingly vertical with plans for the building of tens of thousands of low cost flats underway, and as more and more residents rely on lift service to easily enter and exit their homes, lack of access to working elevators presents a major problem and safety risk that high-rise residents should not have to face.
The quality of maintenance of the lift system is what makes the difference between heaven and hell for apartment or flat dwellers. Thus Islamabad’s building inspectors should not tolerate any shirking of the critical responsibility of maintaining safe and reliable lift service for tenants.
