Why our civic agencies are insensitive

A woman walking on a New York street accidentally steps on a metal plate that was electrified by a utility box wire not properly insulated, collapses, and dies instantly. Her death sets off a firestorm of criticism.

Guess what the company responsible for the maintenance of electrical equipment pays her family as compensation. Over $6 million! Not just that. It sets up a $1 million scholarship fund in her name at Columbia University, where she studied. The company also launches citywide inspections of its equipment at locations where the public is exposed to stray voltage and takes immediate corrective measures.

“Compare this with a similar incident in Rawalpindi. A seven-year-old boy on his way home from a neighborhood shop accidentally touches a low-hanging wire connected to a power line. In seconds, his life is snuffed out as the wire is electrified because of improper insulation. There is no one to raise a clamor. No response from the authorities,” says Aqrab Ali.

“IESCO, the agency that supplies power to the city, has nobody to accuse of using the lines illegally. The electrical man, responsible for policing power lines, offers no excuse that he is helpless as the department is understaffed. There is none to keep shifting the blame; the man in charge of power does not feel the necessity to visit the victim’s house. No need to announce a compensation of Rs1,000 and none orders an inquiry. The turn of a high up to make a visit never comes,” says Behlol Haider.

“Yes, the power agency never orders its own inquiry as nothing comes of these inquiries. This is not the end, as the story never starts. No parties to get into a full-scale war. For the harried citizens, it is like rubbing salt into the wound. As days pass, there is no brouhaha to die down. The issue is forgotten. No regrets. No heads roll. No one goes to jail. No compensation is paid. Things can be seen normal,” says Ghazi Reza.

“In the last two years, we have come across several cases of criminal negligence by Rawalpindi civic agencies. However, no one has been held accountable. A little girl went down the drain literally and was washed away. A small boy taking his younger sister for a walk slipped and fell into an open manhole and died of suffocation. A man got off a bus onto a road and died instantly,” recounts Zila-e-Abbas.

Rakhshay Zera says, “The latest of such incidents was the electrocution of a buffalo. One only hopes our civic agencies learn a lesson from the New York incident. The tax-paying citizens have every right to demand action against irresponsible and insensitive civic agencies. They too must organize themselves to fight lethargy, negligence, and insensitivity of the agencies’ staff.”