THE Defence Housing Authority (DHA) in Karachi has established various permanent checkposts in the middle of phase VIII area in the name of security and traffic management. These are useless steps, as permanent checkposts for security and crime prevention are effective only at entry and exit points of a broader area.

As for traffic regulation, these check-posts have, instead, created traffic chaos and congestion in the area. Traffic bloc-

kades have resulted in a lot of problems for both the commuters and the passers-by. The road dividers at the checkposts cause multiple road accidents every day. These checkposts are nothing but a nuisance — a great nuisance — to the people. To make matters worse, the DHA has started imposing security charges on the residents of phase VIII. This is like rubbing salt into the wound of the area residents, who are being asked to pay for their own sufferings.

These useless checkposts have no utility on any count. People pay taxes and service charges on everything though no adequate service is provided to them. The provincial government, instead of Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC), should provide security and traffic management in DHA phase VIII, and removed the checkposts set up by the DHA.

Name withheld on request
Karachi

Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2025