Rawalpindi : Modern machines called cars have brought new oppression for city residents. They have stirred up envy and competitiveness. The city is not bursting with alternative methods of transport to go to the shopping centers, office blocks, and so on. Authorities do not believe in improving public transport.
“I loathe public transport. I hate paying for it, waiting for it, and looking out of its windows at dirty car-choked streets. The city transportation system is not only bad enough but also getting worse. This system exists in a state of perpetual expansion,” says Zafar Ali.
“The cars and other kinds of vehicles have created a rich world greedy for status lifestyles and endless raw materials, and have become an index of the degree of development of the poor world,” says Amjad Abbas.
“In the past without much traffic, Rawalpindi was quite alive. I remember that in the sixties and early seventies, I never saw more vehicles at the traffic signals. Vast tracks of public land were an exciting and pleasant place to be. Shady points of the city were the public forums, full of trees and gurgling with natural fountains,” says Zamir Naqvi.
“The broad highways that have now sliced the city into fragments were genuine thoroughfares, linking people rather than dispersing them. There existed fewer roads and we had streets to walk. People were in daily contact with one another. All movement was pleasurable,” says Mujahid Hussain.
“It is amazing that we spend so much time cleaning and polishing machines that make everything else in sight a filthy stinking mess. Vehicles are a nuisance. Without them, we could have trees everywhere. Where do you think oxygen comes from anyway? Out of the exhaust pipe,” says Shabbir Taqi.
“These large pieces of metal hurtling around at high speed in residential areas are such a menace to life and limb that every journey made by any other means is chiefly spent dodging these monstrous objects. They are the largest market for the oil and gas industry. Their noise is the noise of the city,” comments Ahsan Zaidi, an environmentalist.
“But these vehicles are central to the society. Nobody sees anything wrong with the ever-increasing number of cars. Life for many people is now impossible without a car. In order to either earn or spend money, the car has become a necessity,” says Jafar Reza.
“In fact, those who see something wrong with this situation are not drivers. Those who lack the privilege of a car generally lack the rarer privilege of a voice that may be heard,” says Naseer Hasan.