LAHORE, July 2: Northern Lahore is only about three kilometres from the Punjab Assembly, which has presented a development budget of Rs43.44 billion for the next year , but its residents are still being deprived of basic amenities like clean drinking water, decent transport, better health and educational facilities and pollution-free environment.

Dust from the dug-up or broken roads, smoke emitted by motorcycle-rickshaws and the noise they create, hide business, furnaces and steel re-rolling mills and other factories are what the around 500,000 residents are braving endlessly for years.

There are four approaches to the northern parts -- the railway overhead bridge near the station, Aik and Do Moria Puls and an adjacent underpass -- the latter three always clogged.

Most pedestrians prefer the overhead bridge because they can get transport from the bus and wagon stands at the station for every part of the city. Only one-third of the overhead bridge is covered.

It is very difficult to cross it in extreme weather conditions. Vendors and beggers occupy the bridge leaving a little room for elderly people and children who faint in summer.

During the last two years, the number of patients suffering from hepatitis and gastro-enteritis had increased at an alarming rate because of the use of contaminated water.

Tongas, the only mode of transportation for the public for some five years ago, have been replaced by motorcycle-rickshaws and private wagons. Around 3,000 motorcycle-rickshaws and over 200 wagons ply in Northern Lahore and pick up passengers either from the station near Chamra Mandi octroi post or the Aik Moria Pul.

Drivers pay Rs5 adda fee daily for a motorcycle-rickshaw, Rs40 for a pick-up, Rs100 for a wagon near Chamra Mandi octroi post, the Aik Moria Pul or Toka Stop. The collectors issue them receipts and in case of non-payment receive 11 time more 'fine'.

There is one intermediate college for boys at Ghorey Shah while Shadbagh and Kot Khwaja Saeed each have women degree colleges. Rainwater makes life miserable for the residents of Makhanpura and Shamshad Park because of the faulty sewerage system which has never been improved despite promises by respective governments.

Work on Amir Road, dug up to lay a six-foot sewerage pipeline over a year ago, has not yet been completed thanks to slow pace of work. "Houses along the thoroughfare may collapse in coming monsoon," a resident of Amir Road said.

People use adjoining streets to reach Malik Park and other localities. "We can't sleep because of the noise of motorcycle-rickshaws without muffles." Sewerage pipes were laid on Gujja Pir Road around a year ago but the thoroughfare had not yet been constructed. It links Chaudhry, Feroz and Ghulam Husain parks with Shadbagh.

Residents of New Shadbagh, who had put up a banner to register their protest against the recent increase in water bills, said the agency was not supplying clean drinking water.

"We are now being forced to pay 40 per cent more for the same polluted water. This is in addition to the fees of doctors and cost of medicines we pay after consuming the water supplied by Wasa."

A senior Wasa official said rust and use of water pumps damaged the underground waterpipes laid some 30 to 40 years ago in most parts of Northern Lahore. There is only one DHQ Hospital at Kot Khwaja Saeed. According to people living nearby, patients are seen at the hospital's outpatient department till 2pm.

No doctor is available after 8pm at the emergency ward. Serious patients are either referred to the Nawaz Sharif Hospital at Yakki Gate or to the Mayo Hospital. They alleged that parts of hospital land was occupied and sold by some influential men of the area.

The hospital wards were found locked when visited by this scribe late Friday evening. A doctor said patients were referred to other hospitals for lack of adequate equipment, facilities and trained staff.

PPP leader and former MPA Dr Ziaullah Bungash puts the blame on the political leadership for all the problems of the area. He said District Nazim Mian Amer Mahmood had been living here for quite some time.

"Mian Sahib is aware of all our grievances but regretfully he is taking no concrete steps for their redressal." Dr Bungash said on the average he had been treating four to five patients daily suffering from hepatitis and gastroenteritis at his clinic in New Shadbagh. Behavioural disorders like anxiety, irritability and emotional stress are also on the rise, he said.