They deserve better than this!

Although Islamabad is considered to be one of the most planned cities of the world, and time and again claims have been made to make it one of the most beautiful and modern metropolis of the world. But there is also no denying the fact that it is also blotted by many colonies and housing societies which lack basic civic amenities like a proper sewage system, smooth roads, supply of clean drinking water and gas.

Naming some such colonies which are located along Islamabad Expressway only few kilometres from Zero Point include Father Colony, Salvation Army Colony, Christian Colony, Chashma Town, Iqbal Town, Raja Nizamuddin Town which comprise an overall area of New Sohan and has registered voter count of over 4,000; where around 8-10 thousand families reside amid broken roads is a picture of distress and resembles like a village in remote area of the country. There are 83 denominations of Christian community and 13 mosques in these localities.

“These bumpy roads become more troublesome for residents of the area as sewage coming from Dhoke Kala Khan just on the opposite side of these localities enters these downtown areas, but all these localities lack proper drainage system which allows the water to inundate these broken roads causing more inconvenience to the residents of the area, said Dr Allama GR Chishti, a resident of the area.

Dr Chishti who is Coordinator of United Religions Initiatives, Multi Cooperation Circles, Islamabad Capital Territory (URI MCCI ICT) on plea of the residents of the area has taken it upon himself to raise the issue with city administration from the URI platform. “In my meeting with Deputy Commissioner Captain (r) Mushtaq Ahmed, I raised the problems faced by the New Sohan. He assured of the resolution of the problems of the area soon,” said Dr Chishti.

Majority of the residents of the area comprises members of minorities including Christians and some Muslim and Hindu families. The area which falls under UC 21 resembles like a downtrodden slum.

“UC Chairman Malik Amir was of the view that he was helpless. After the local bodies elections we were hopeful the situation of the area would be better but so far we have got no funds and powers to improve the situation of the area, Dr Chishti, quoting the chairman of the local UC said.

“It seems the government machinery has failed to understand that right under their nose some people live in filthy conditions and they have to cope with ditches filled with sewerage water without any hope that the next day their locality will be clear of this filth. No we have to bear all this slush and muck day in day out as more sewage continues filling these potholes,” said Javed Ali, a resident of the area.

The city fathers who claim to make Islamabad the clean and green city of the country fail to understand that mushroom colonies like Father Colony, Salvation Army Colony, Christian Colony, Chashma Town, Iqbal Town, Raja Nizamuddin Town etc have not sprouted out of earth; they were developed over a period of time and if they lacked any proper clearance from the authority then why at first place the residents of these localities were allowed to build these homes. One should not get into the debate that these homes are built on land reserved for farm houses. Now the mistake has been committed and someone is responsible for their establishment and further growth. The question is about the welfare of the residents of these localities who are both Muslims and Christians. They are human beings first of all and every human being has a right to live honourably. What the city fathers should at-least do now is to clean the stranded sewerage with the help of suction machines. Then provide a proper sewerage system and build roads in the area to give relief to the residents of the localities once and for all.

The second problem which needs attention of civic body is no doubt the most important for the area dwellers. These localities lack clean drinking water. People usually used boring on self help basis, but now with passage of time the water level in the capital has receded to drastic levels and now most of the boring connections in these localities fail to provide water and they are drying out fast. The government with help of heavier machinery can supply water to residents of these localities in a planned manner with the help of tubewell connections.

No matter what steps are taken they should be taken urgently because the residents of the area whether they are from minorities or Muslims; they are human being and they deserve better than this!