For a long time now we have been hearing about the 'miraculous' progress made in the infrastructure development of Karachi. Alas, the very first monsoon showers on 18th/19th July have taken the air from the sails of all these claims and exposed the hollowness of the rhetoric. The rain has turned the roads into rivers and streets into canals, jammed all traffic and, in some places, even inundated residential places. Overall, the lack of drainage has turned lives of the citizens into one great misery. To cap it all, because of the failure of water drainage and the gross in-efficiency and negligence of KESC, a large number of grid-stations have failed. Most of Karachi has been blanketed in complete darkness, in some areas for three days running. What miracles the Nazim of Karachi had been claiming for himself? And, pray, what have the central and provincial governments did all this while. Can't the KESC be taken back by the government to put some fear of God in its administration? -DR ZAHEER ASGHAR KHAN, Lahore, via e-mail, July 20.