JI distributes 1,000 manhole covers in Orangi Town

KARACHI: Jamaat-i-Islami Karachi chief Monem Zafar on Sunday termed uncovered manholes across the city as death traps for residents, particularly children, as the party handed out 1,000 manhole covers free of charge in Orangi Town.

He was speaking at a ceremony held opposite the ZMC office under JI District West. According to Zafar, the installation and upkeep of manhole covers fall under the responsibility of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and other civic agencies concerned.

Zafar alleged that because of incompetence, corruption and negligence, the lives of citizens remain under constant threat. He said the party had stepped beyond its political role to respond to public problems and claimed that JI had installed and distributed more than 35,000 manhole covers over the last two and a half years.

He urged people to back Jamaat-i-Islami for what he described as the improvement and safety of Karachi. Other speakers at the event included JI District West chief Mudassir Hussain Ansari, deputy chief Khalid Zaman and UC-4 chairman Atta-e-Rabbi.

Concerns over public safety

Zafar said dozens of people, including many children, had lost their lives in recent years after falling into uncovered manholes. He said these incidents should not be seen as accidents, but as the outcome of administrative failure, adding that public safety should be treated as a shared responsibility.

Criticising the provincial government and the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, he said residents of the city were being denied basic municipal services. He said water supply, transport, sanitation, infrastructure and sewerage systems were all in poor shape.

He further said that despite Karachi being the country’s economic hub, it was not being given its basic rights, and alleged that the city’s resources were being mismanaged.

JI says campaign will continue

Zafar said Jamaat-i-Islami would continue its efforts for Karachi’s rights through legal, political and public forums. His remarks came as the party used the Orangi Town event to highlight what it says is a wider failure of civic administration in the city.

The distribution drive in District West formed part of JI’s ongoing campaign around manhole safety, which the party says it has pursued over the past two and a half years.