KASUR-The menace of corruption is deep-rooted in every state-run department of Kasur district as the citizens have to face grave circumstances as result of the officials’ negligence and bribe demands.
The officials’ lethargic attitude in carrying out development projects has now been taking its toll on public lives and health as deteriorated roads and piles of stinky wastes across the district have left the people at the mercy of fatal road accidents and dirt-borne diseases. Citizens hold the administration and local lawmakers responsible for the grave situation, saying they do not bother to come out of their air-conditioned rooms and have turned a blind eye to the public woes.
A survey conducted by this correspondent reveals that the Kasur city looks like an abandoned place where 70 percent area still lacks basic necessities of life. Lack of funds amidst rampant corruption has put completion of development works in a doldrums. It has resulted in sewage accumulation and heaps of garbage which have turned the city into a landfill site and also distorted beauty of the historic and culturally rich city.
The people said the waste has given rise to mosquitoes, flies and bugs which have made the residents vulnerable to malaria, dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases. They alleged due to indifference of the Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA), sewage blockage has turned the city grounds into ponds of dirty water. Sanitary workers, on the other hand, are rarely witnessed to perform their duty and do not work until they are paid money by residents, they said.
If their absence and indifference to their duty are questioned, they treat the citizens rudely. In fact they pay bribe regularly to their respective area in-charges and are confident that they will get them off the hook, they said.
During the survey, residents of different localities fumed at Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif who, what they said, claims to make Punjab a model province but practically has nothing to do with the public service. They admitted that the CM allocated billions of rupees for the uplift of Kasur city under Punjab Development Programme but the funds, they alleged, could not be used for the true purpose and were either embezzled or siphoned off due to unchecked officials’ activities.
Their repeated applications and protests also did not bear fruit as all these complaints fell on deaf ears, they regretted. Social and political figures and trade unions of Kasur demanded the Punjab CM take note of irregularities in the funds, allocated for uplift of the district. Only funds allocation cannot work out unless proper check on officials’ activities is ensured, they pointed out.
When contacted, TMC chairman Ayaz Ahmed Khan said that the local bodies’ representatives have recently assumed the charge. He said that the TMC has been devising a comprehensive plan to ensure cleanliness in the city and Chief Sanitary Inspector has been directed in this regard.
Deputy Commissioner Ammara Khan in her comment said that LB system has recently been made functional and strategy is underway for cleanliness in the city. She said that she will supervise the cleanliness drive in the city and negligent officials will be dealt with sternly.