Manholes Hunting Human Lives

Asem Mustafa Awan

They are countless and are spread all over the country, and they have taken human lives whose responsibility is never taken by the authorities, and blame is always shifted to fate.

Pakistan, ‘the land of the pure’, has these incidents happening every other day. The last one happened a day ago when two children under the age of ten fell inside an open manhole.

The open manhole in Shams Colony (Baloch Colony) in the Kachi Basti area of Liaqatpur, Rahim Yar Khan, was the one who claimed Rehan and Muqaddas. Their dead bodies were recovered by their loved ones as they were residents of a colony that was either not approved by the authorities or whose lives simply didn’t matter.

The administration gave the reasoning that it was a privately constructed sewer, while the question is, when the housing colony, namely Shams in Rahim Yar Khan, was approved, where did all the money go?

Was it not the revenue office that collected the money in transfers? Was it not the electricity department that provided the facility and gas in giving the connection?

The question is, when these services were there, how could it be possible that the fault lies with the residents?

The ill-fated incident is very tragic indeed but the callousness of the administration is evident from the fact that the open manhole was made privately. This statement doesn’t absolve the government from its responsibilities that are in place to serve and protect the masses.

The people who have come out on the road against electricity bills are right in saying that the public’s unfriendly approach by authorities has made life miserable for over 220 million people.

The privileged few are not willing to leave their perks and this can be seen in their perks before the caretaker setup took over.

The state bank is also not giving the names of 628 individuals who obtained interest-free loans worth billions of rupees, which has further fuelled public anger. The fact that the State Bank has refused to reveal the identities of these loan recipients only amplifies suspicions of corruption.

These manholes will continue to claim lives as money for them is taken by people who have remained above the law and are never held accountable.

The picture states how the public service sector has deteriorated and the gaping manhole is awaiting another human life before it gets the administration’s attention. This place is not far from their offices but rather right under their noses, and over the years there must have been a bloody history.

The public service offices dealing in electricity and gas are lucky that people have not turned on them, and the day is not far when it happens. Before it happens, they should get their act together and devise means that don’t turn public anger against them.

The writer is a journalist based in Islamabad and writes on a wide range of issues.

Photo Credit: Khurram Butt