| July 14, 2008 | Monday | Rajab 10, 1429 |
Car insurance
Seminars, especially those organised by NGOs, which are numerous no doubt, are pretty dreary and dull. The aim of the organizers usually differs but that of the people who attend them is usually little more than a social get-together, which is difficult to manage otherwise.
Not only does it give the ladies from the affluent class a chance to brag about their generosity and sensitivity towards the issue, it is also a fair opportunity for affluent men to do the same and to make pleasant comments about the ladies present there and make new friends. Therefore a host of events end up having the same set of people repeatedly.
Moreover, whatever the topic, it rarely makes a difference to these chattering types. Unfortunately, not everyone is as lucky as them as those from the media have to go through the much talked about futile debates over and over again. The misery doesn’t end there. It becomes manifold when the programme begins way beyond the time mentioned on the invitation card as “sharp.”
Nonetheless, at rare occasions when there are topics that might interest certain genuine intellectuals, there is such a long list of speakers invited that it hardly leaves any time for anyone to speak.
Now that leaves many to wonder what was on the mind of the organizers to call so many guest speakers. Well, the formula is quite an old one in fact. Many “keynote speakers” or “guests of honour” (which usually is someone that can give monetary or other favours) is found stuck in some important meeting and therefore the programme is left with nothing glitzy.
To avoid such a scenario, what the organizers of such events have started to do is to have as many guests as possible so that those missing would not be missed at all.
What happens as a result is that there is a long queue of speakers, comprising mainly of social butterflies or well-resourced people with minimum acquaintance with the subject and a couple of those who actually have a clue about it. Interestingly, those who are specialists are hardly given time to share their views owing to the long list of speakers.
What is even more disturbing is the fact that during lunch hour, the crowd seems to mysteriously multiply to double or triple the size it was in the conference hall. And as soon as lunch ends, the crowd returns to its original size.
What the organizers need to do is to have a selected list of people who know the theme well and let them share their views in detail.
Secondly, selected people who had shown their interest in the respective field or researched it should be invited as guests. Since the sponsorship culture would never allow it, therefore, all the social butterflies can chat, gossip, make friends and be happy.—MJ
Out in the open
Increasingly, I hear mothers of growing kids complain about ‘too much television, and too much computer’ in their children’s lives.
I remember playing outside with other children every evening as a child. Our apartment complex had a very big space to play. We regularly used to have badminton, cricket, hockey and football matches in addition to an annual talent show for which we collected funds from each flat.
This has changed drastically now. Children – teenagers mostly – find lounging in front of the television or their PCs to be a more comfortable option.
Apart from many other factors I blame this on the lack of playing space for them. We live in a concrete jungle where apartment blocks mushroom like anything on any given space and recreation space allotted by the government is mercilessly grabbed by the land mafia and turned into huge malls, restaurants or other money-making facilities. The few remaining open spaces are occupied by weekly bazaars or play host to some wedding ceremony or the other.
Given the dismal situation, how, then, can we blame the children for not going outside to play?
And if some of them try and venture out on the streets for a cricket or a badminton match, the inhabitants of the nearby houses give them a hard time as the noise makes it impossible for them to watch their favourite soap.
Streets are not meant for playing, they say. But so are grounds not meant for your wedding party.
Gone are the days when mohalla cricket was all the rage. Young boys went door to door collecting money for a night tournament and people did contribute to them, even if only a little. The point is things have changed. No one has the time or even the energy to actively participate in such things and people have zero tolerance for the noise children make in those outdoor games. You can’t even blame them. Life in the metropolis is so fast paced and stressful that all you need at the end of the day is a moving fan (a rarity these days) and some quiet to catch up on sleep.
Everyone knows that outdoor games are good for the body and the mind but then why not make opportunities available for our children and let them have a few good games out in the open?
Hardly anyone seems to acknowledge the importance of parks in a society, but the fact remains that open spaces and greenery provide an ideal place to relieve stress, which is part and parcel of life in Karachi.—Tooba Asim
The city rises
It was with some surprise and a lot of amusement that I read in the news that our city planners are seriously contemplating throwing caution to the wind and allowing the master builders – with the tacit blessing of the controlling authority, in this case the illustrious Karachi Building Control Authority (KBCA) – to make the sky the limit.
In other words, according to the experts Karachi must rise to the occasion and build upwards and outclass the sky-scrapering cities of the world. It is understandable that the city cannot expand into the sea, although the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) has been quite successful in reclaiming land from the sea and building housing schemes on it.
There seems to be a plan on the anvil to build a 160-storey Karachi Port Tower, the very thought of which makes me dizzy (I am sure the planners have not seen the movie The Towering Inferno).
Anyway, on a serious note, although the idea itself is commendable and real estate developers, builders and contractors must be gleefully eyeing this super lucrative project, not to mention our city will be in the record books till other cities build higher structures.
Our visionaries must bear all factors in mind before digging in. After all, this is Karachi and not New York City, London, Tokyo or Singapore.
Amidst the chaos and problems of power, gas and water, are such costly high-rise projects worth it? Even if they are, what about the safety factors?
They say when the Japanese build something they project ahead more than 50 years while unfortunately, all we do is look ahead our noses and into our bank balances.
Karachi lies in an earthquake zone without any foolproof safety factors and the thought of an earthquake in a city full of sky-rises … well, we all know what happened to even the flatlands in the Northern Areas in 2005.
Besides, the foremost problem would be the outbreak of fire. Our fire department, hospital services, police and all other civic agencies all put together would be clueless as how to cope with such an emergency, (remember the KPT fires?).
Then there is an element of terrorism, which cannot be overlooked as we are already in the thick of things. A terrorist attack or explosion in such buildings may result in colossal damage.
Before I am told that I do not believe in progress, I better sign off by saying “prevention is better than cure” or “look before you leap”.—Syed Anwer Ali
Compiled by Syed Hassan Ali
karachian@dawn.com
Sir,
We appreciate the Karachi police’s efforts to streamline the traffic rules. However, it has been noted with regret that after finding all aspects in order, they insist the driver produce insurance papers even for old vehicles.
The insurance cover note is available with vendors sitting outside the Civic Centre for Rs50 or Rs60 for one year. This cover note is not from any recognized insurance company and cannot serve any purpose in case of an accident, loss or any other problem. This fact is not only very well known to the traffic police, but also to every car owner. This cover note is simply an eyewash, which serves no purpose. Owners of old cars cannot afford to pay heavy annual insurance charges.
Would the IG police and DIG traffic issue the necessary instructions to traffic police not to harass car owners for such insurance cover notes.
A.E. MOTIWALA
F.B. Area
Traffic at Banaras
Sir,
Banaras Chowk is the focal point for entry into and exit from Orangi Town. However, traffic jams badly disturb the life of area residents. Commuters are often delayed because of the traffic jams here.
Criminals often take advantage of the jams and loot vehicles. The authorities concerned have done nothing to stop this. Encroachments cover both sides of the road, from Paposh Nagar graveyard to Metro Cinema and from Vailka Hospital to Qasba More. The actual roads are squeezed from six to eight feet from both sides.
Nowadays, the construction of a flyover is under way from Metro Cinema to Abdullah College, which will be a relief to the inhabitants. However, the pace of work is very slow.
These issues require the attention of the city nazim and local bodies minister for an early solution.
MUHAMMAD YOUSUF ALI
Orangi Town
Conserving electricity
Sir,
Citizens should be encouraged to hold marriage functions in the afternoon to save electricity and to be secure. In case of non-compliance, power should be disconnected at 12pm.
Building projects which blatantly and fearlessly use KESC connections should be inspected and punished.
All illuminations should be strictly banned.
Streetlights should be switched on at dusk and not at 6pm or 7pm (as is seen on University Road and in Gulistan-i-Jauhar).
Traffic signals should be removed. They are either non-functional or are not heeded. Instead, at every exit point three speed-breakers should be built with a four foot space in between them.
A CONCERNED CITIZEN
Karachi
Phone complaint
Sir,
My phone number (021-464 1317) has been out of order for the past several weeks. I have made several complaints on the automated ‘18’ system, but have received no satisfactory response. The phone was briefly fixed, but went dead soon after.I would appreciate if the PTCL authorities could do the needful and fix my line at the earliest.
DR SHAMS
Abbas Town
The desperate city
Sir,
Over the years Karachi’s crime graph has risen due to the inaction of the law enforcers and high-ups. Now we have come to a stage where desperate citizens have resorted to lynching criminals.
Lynching is a ghastly crime and torching a man to death is the most heinous of crimes. But I have heard people commending the tragedy, arguing that now criminals would be taught a lesson.
In order to control crimes, it is most appropriate to enact the law as prescribed in Verse 33 of Surah Al-Maidah of the Holy Qur’an. If this law is adopted the crime graph will immediately go down. Let the judges of the Shariah Court also describe what is “fasad” i.e. mischief in the land, and all those crimes which fall in that category should be decided accordingly without fear or favour. The example of Saudi Arabia is before us, which is an almost crime-free state.
M. ZUBAIR
Karachi
Cylinder shops near schools
Sir,
Every now and then we read about gas cylinders exploding and causing loss of lives and property. Shops where gas cylinders are sold and gas is filled in rickshaws should be located at a distance from schools.
One such shop is located near the St Patrick’s Cathedral on Shahrah-i-Iraq, where four schools and a college are located. My daughter studies in one of these schools, and I worry daily for her and others.
All the educational institutes located on Shahrah-i-Iraq should take notice before it’s too late.
A CONCERNED PARENT
Karachi
Problems of doctors
Sir,
Through your esteemed paper I would like to bring attention to the issue of working conditions that prevail in one of the largest hospitals of the city. The postgraduate medical/surgical trainees, also known as residents, of the hospital, are extremely low paid. Salaries start at Rs8,200, the lowest in the country. The trainees at Sindh government hospitals get Rs10,500 just for house officers, while our neighbouring hospital pays Rs15,000. A number of the residents have been working in the hospital for over two years without any increment. Whenever the hospital administration is reminded of the low pay, their answer is either “we are working on it” or “we are giving you an increment,” which is Rs1,000 a year. With the rising cost of living, the low pay and constant pressure of bringing enough to the table really brings a lot of pressure to the residents to perform their best.
AFFECTED DOCTOR
Karachi
city@dawn.com
