KARACHI: Anyone who has even a modicum of interest in performing arts would know that the late Zia Mohyeddin was a perfectionist? If you made the slightest of mistakes while pronouncing an Urdu word in front of him, he would make sure you were made aware of it. He was also a sartorially conscious (read: well dressed) person renowned globally for his consuming passion for literature. So when the Sindh government dedicates a flyover to him (which by the way should be acknowledged by all means), the first thought that springs to mind is that the authorities concerned must have taken his personality into consideration before undertaking such a project.

Last week, this writer visited Gulistan-i-Jauhar three times because for personal reasons. On all three occasions, the vehicle I was travelling by — online cab or rickshaw — had to cross the bridge climbing which begins a few hundred yards before what used to be Jauhar Chowrangi and ending a few hundred yards before Darul Sehat Hospital. Two out of the three times, while going down, I experienced a bit of a clogged road largely due to the fact that there’s an incessant flurry of activity — vehicular as well as pedestrian — outside the hospital. I wondered, isn’t the purpose of the overhead structure to ensure that the traffic flows smoothly?

But that’s one man’s experience, could be a coincidence.

The other important thing is the crisscrossing of roads under the bridge still being constructed. They are creating a bit of a mess. The unevenness of the ground and the plumes of dust that rise into the air whenever a heavy vehicle tries to display over-speeding are a health hazard. The sooner these things are fixed, the better.

Finally, if one’s memory serves right, only political figures were seen at the inauguration of the flyover. Where was Mr Mohyeddin’s family that lives in Karachi? After all, the facility is named after him.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Mohyeddin’s wife Azra called it a nice gesture on the part of the Sindh government. She said it had come as a pleasant surprise to her when someone sent a picture of the bridge to her after its inauguration. However, she added — after being asked whether the authorities got in touch with her before the project was unveiled — that they at least should have informed her about it.

Published in Dawn, April 5rd, 2023