RESIDENTS of model village Chak Shahzad have been suffering from chronic civic problems for the last couple of years. Messy streets are covered with oozing sewage owing to lack of regular upkeep and cleaning.

There are no footpaths for pedestrians. Heaps of garbage can be seen around houses, particularly in front of Markazi Jamia Mosque in Street No. 9.

The CDA doesn’t collect household garbage on a daily basis, while manholes are full of stones, filth and are without lids. There are parks with filth, without any recreational facilities for children.

Markets are without concrete flooring base and have dusty surroundings. Playgrounds are without turf and boundary walls. There are 10 to 15 hours of power outage a day.

Streetlights are not functional in some streets, there are also gas shortages, stray dogs roam the streets day and night, while inquiry/complaint offices of CDA, Iesco, SNGPL and PTCL are non-existent.

Phone cables are hanging haphazardly in the air on crumbling poles.

The efforts made so far to move the authorities concerned have failed to invoke their sympathies. The major onus of this apathy, however, rests on the CDA which happens to be oblivious to its responsibility of providing the needed civic facilities and their gradual improvement with the passage of time.

It has let this township, located at a distance of a few kilometres from the PM House, become a neglected locality over the past many years. Ostensibly, it is because the CDA has not so far launched any visible plan to upgrade the civic facilities required in the model village in line with its master plan.

Similarly, the other sister organisations — Iesco, SNGPL and PTCL — are working in a non-professional manner. They have developed a tendency of providing their respective services casually without ensuring quality.

I would appeal to the CDA, Iesco, SNGPL and PTCL to look into the matter.

M. Sharafat Ali Zia

Islamabad

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2015

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