BAHAWALPUR
People’s lives at public places such as hospitals, schools and railway stations are at risk as the CCTV cameras installed at such locations have been either stolen or out of order while the control room set up in Rescue 15 office has become ineffective.
Moreover, life of the visitors of these areas is at risk due to deployment of untrained security guards who do not have training about security. They do not have the knowledge of how to use weapons they carry. Guards are not deployed at parks, markets and Railway Station. In addition, the luggage booked from stations, bus and private cargo companies are not checked which can become the cause of an unpleasant incident.
Security arrangements at tombs and shrines especially in Uch Sharif are disappointing.
Due to the negligence, the Civil Defance Department, patrol pumps, educational institutions, hospitals, marriage lawns and halls, public parks, bus stands, Railway stations , shopping plazas and markets are without fire fighting Instruments. Wherever present, the fire fighting instruments are out of order. The illegal sale of petrol is going on openly with connivance of Civil Defecne Department.
Also the persons deployed in the hospitals of Bahawalpur District are untrained.
Thousands of people daily visit the Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Jubilee Family Hospital and Civil Hospital but security arrangements are not sufficient as even the walkthrough gates installed at the emergency unit are out of order. On the other side, the untrained guards receive bribe from rickshaw drivers and visitors for entry into the hospital. Various unpleasant incidents of quarrel have been taken place due to misbehaviour of guards.
When asked, Station Master Bahawalpur Aleem Durrani said that he had brought the situation into the notice of the highe-ups but to no avail. Orders of checking of luggage and passengers with metal detectors are not being followed at the bus stands, educational institutes where razor barbed wires are also not installed on the walls.
Commenting on the situation, lawyers said that district courts’ security is disappointing and policemen’s duties on the entry points are not sufficient.
Proper checking should be made at the time of entrance to avoid any untoward incident, they demanded. Social worker Shazia Khan said that untrained security guards had been deployed at Bahawal Victoria Hospital which is a big security risk.