The road to nowhere
People suffer as Bund Road dug for laying sewerage two years ago is yet to be constructed
By Arshad Shafiq
For the last two years, the Bund Road between Daroghawala Chowk and Mahmood Booti is being repaired — to the extent that it has become almost impassable. Locals are forced to take detours through narrow side streets and alternate roads to reach their destination. But the situation gets worse for outsiders as they are not familiar with these alternatives and get stranded in these slums in an attempt to avoid inconveniences they can face in case of using this dusty road.

Consensus on democracy
A seminar on democracy becomes a platform for exchange of ideas
By Ammara Ahmad
A two day seminar on ‘Democracy and Decentralisation’ was held by the Freedom Gate Pakistan in Holiday Inn, on the 29th and 30th of November. Freedom Gate is a network (not organisation) of the alumni of the International Academy of Leadership in Germany (IAF) and is funded by its partner, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF), a semi-Government German organisation.

VIPs first

We enjoy doing everything prohibited by law or disliked as per societal norms. You will see people spitting right there on the sign prohibiting the very act. They would honk endlessly in front of hospitals, mosques and schools despite repeated warnings against the practice and in case of traffic mess even bring their motorbikes on footpaths meant for pedestrians.

Yet to follow are those who answer the call of nature along busy roads and against roadside walls, in full public view and in the face of warnings probohiting them. I know a chowkidar in our area who believes the probihiter himself is guilty of violating the law. So, he sometimes walks a considerable distance to find a wall carrying this script and relieves himself there.

This mindset is not typical of a particular group of people having almost similar educational and financial backgrounds. It’s embedded in our genes. If you see someone acting according to law, he would most probably be doing that out of fear of being caught. The moment the fear goes, the compliance part also disappears.

The best example here is that of motorists driving on the motorway. They would stay in their lanes, obey speed limits, properly indicate whenever switching lanes and give way to those making re-entry from rest areas. But all this mannerism disappears the moment they take an exit. What follows is something similar to what goes on inside the cage built for dodgem cars game at our theme parks.

I also remember how Pakistanis behave in Saudia Arabia when they go there for pilgrimage. I went there with my mother some years back to perform Umra. The overall culture of following rules was so strong that one felt it criminal to even think about violating any of these.

Just when we thought this attitude was about to become a habit, we realised it was time to return. It did not take us long to experience the reverse cultural shock. It was at the Jeddah Airport that we had the feeling of being at home. The sights and sounds of the staff of our national flag carrier asking for bribes and the pilgrims bargaining over the amount showed how resilient and resistant to change we are. They can easily adjust to any environment within no time a phenomenon not very common in the outer world.

The favour exchanged to pilgrims in return for bribes was to allow them carry zam zam in excess of the quota allotted. A fellow pilgrim advised me to pay 20 riyals to the person on counter and carry an extra 20-litre bottle of zam zam on board. This in his opinion was not a prohibited act as he thought the cause was noble.

Coming back to our collective attitudes, one can look for reasons why they have become so embedded in our minds that we cannot change them. Though others may disagree with me, I think our common people know they have no say in the affairs of the state and making of laws that control their destiny. They think themselves to be treated like slaves and left at the mercy of ruthless organs of the state like police.

So, whenever they find a chance they break a law. Walking away with it gives them a feeling of elation and a false illusion of being something big. If it’s not the case, then why do we follow the rules abroad? The same people on their way back home forget all the lessons learnt.

If you’re part of the returning lot, you can see them jumping over each other to reach the immigration counter as early as possible. The sight of them walking restlessly on the conveyor belt in the arrival hall is common as well.

The question is whether there is any way to reverse this attitude. This reversal will definitely benefit the common man the most. An option is to reverse the laws altogether. For example, place a sign stating "please spit here" I think it will work as people do not always break laws to facilitate themselves. They break a law for the fun of it. The act gives them a feeling of being important, above the law and something big.

The second option is to change this mindsetsomething which is not possible without taking people on board and making them master of their own destiny. Laws made by the privileged few and applicable only to the have-nots will spoil things further.

For the last two years, the Bund Road between Daroghawala Chowk and Mahmood Booti is being repaired — to the extent that it has become almost impassable. Locals are forced to take detours through narrow side streets and alternate roads to reach their destination. But the situation gets worse for outsiders as they are not familiar with these alternatives and get stranded in these slums in an attempt to avoid inconveniences they can face in case of using this dusty road.

People living on the roadside localities including Shahdipura, Lokhadir Mor, Mohallah Islamabad, Road Pir, Daroghawala, Bilal Colony, Mohallah Farooqabad and Bussy Mor are the hardest hit by the dilapidated road as they are not only facing difficulties in reaching their destinations, they are also contracting respiratory diseases due to the dust that has become a permanent feature here.

Talking to TNS, a principal of a school in the area Rana Imran Sikandar said, "The road has become a health hazard to pedestrians and people living on Bund Road. We can see clouds of dust everywhere in the air which not only pollute the atmosphere but also spread dust allergy and asthma among people. Wagha Town administration should sprinkle water on the road to settle the dust as long as it is not built".

Anjuman Tajran President Sufi Nazeer Awan said, "Sewerage lines in the area was a long-standing demand of the people and the Punjab government completed the project six months back but the construction of road has not started yet. There are many vehicles repair and other workshops on Bund Road but the business has come to a halt due to this bumpy and broken road as customers don’t come to these workshops." He said that four months ago the district government had put banners across the road, asking the traders to voluntarily remove encroachments. "Seeing the banners, people thought the road construction was likely to start but it did not."

Muhammad Abbas, former councillor from UC-39, told TNS that there is no government hospital in the area. People have to go to Mayo or Services Hospital. "In case of emergency it becomes very difficult to shift a patient to those hospitals in time as Bund Road, which is the only main road that links GT Road to reach the hospitals, cannot be used by vehicles owing to potholes there." Only motorcycle-rickshaws ply on Bund Road. He said that transport owners have stopped plying their buses and wagons on the road because it damages the vehicle.

MPA Haji Naveed Anjum said that the road construction will start before June 2011.

"The area was without sewerage for sixty years. It was Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif who took notice of the situation and was instrumental in its completion in two years at a cost of Rs 740 million. Besides the sewerage pipes are 72 inches in diameter and have been laid 30 to 36 feet below the ground. Before it was tested, the road construction could not be started."

Wasa Director Training and Deputy Director Design, Qadir explained that, on the directive of the Punjab CM, Wasa has developed external sewerage system in Daroghawala, which consists of main trunk sewerage networks and leads to Mahmood Booti disposal station." Wasa has a plan to develop internal sewerage in Daroghawala localities but in several localities people have started laying sewerage pipes on self-help basis."

nizami_shafiq@hotmail.com

Town Talk

* 3rd International Conference on Assessing Quality in Higher Education from Dec 6-8. Theme of the conference is "Modeling in Higher Education".

* Film: ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader’ at DHA Cinema on Fri, Dec 10.

* Fashion Night 2010: 10 Live band performances and fashion show today at 7:00pm.

* ‘Sher Ki Baat’ is a series of fortnightly lectures given by Dr. Arfa Syeda on Wednesdays on Faiz’s poetry at Faiz Ghar. Timings: 5:00pm to 6:00pm.

* ‘Story hour’ for children 5 years and above at Faiz Ghar on Fridays from 3:45pm to 5:00pm.

"I feel more confident in second-hand garments among my class fellows from well-off families. They are fashionable and affordable besides protecting the body against cold," says Ali Jamal, a college student belonging to middle class, who cannot afford branded or expensive winter garments on sale in big shops located in posh areas of the city.

"Although the prices of second-hand garments, have risen considerably this season, they are still lower than those sold at the big stores," he says.

The arrival of winter season marks increased sale of woolen and leather garments in Lahore. A crowd of people could be witnessed on all major shopping centers at this time of the year. Places like Liberty market, Pace, Anarkali Bazar and many other shopping centers become crowded. Mostly these shopping centres sell branded and expensive articles generally imported from America and European countries. Brands like Gucci, Giorgio Armani, Hugo Boss, Marks & Spencer are quite popular among them.

Anarkali bazaar is not only famous for new garments, it is considered one of the biggest markets of used garments in Lahore. Its Purse Ram Street is famous for the sale of good quality second-hand garments. Most of the students and office-going people prefer these garments.

This winter has seen a marked decline in the number of customers to these used garments shops. People attribute it to a considerable rise in the prices of these used garments, taking it to a level which is beyond the purchasing power of the class. Abdul Rehman, a seller of used garments at Anarkali bazaar, tells TNS that there are few customers this season; those who turn up leave after asking the prices. He said he bought the clothes in dollars and with the rise in the price of dollar, rise in the prices of clothes was inevitable. "I wish for a large number of customers but that is not happening as the purchasing power of people has gone down because of increasing price-hike in the country", he says.

Markets of second hand garments are generally run by Pathans or people from the tribal belt, as some of them sell garments brought from Afghanistan. Karim Khan, owner of a used garment shop at Anarkali Bazar, explained in detail how prices of used garments have gone up. "Second hand clothes were generally purchased from the USA, Japan, Korea and some European countries. Some traders in Lahore directly purchase garments from sellers abroad," he says. "These used garments reach Karachi port from European countries and then are distributed to the retailers in different parts of the country; a rise in petroleum prices directly affects the prices of these used garments", he adds.

Despite all these hindering factors, shops of used or second-hand garments have sprung up in most parts of Lahore. Moreover, sellers who cannot afford a shop generally sell these garments on stalls. Few prominent stalls are set up at the famous and historical Anarkali bazaar and the ever famous Landa bazaar Lahore. Such stalls are also present on Link Road Model Town, Township Market, Karim Block Market in Allama Iqbal Town and in adjoining areas of Anarkali Bazaar and railway station.

Second-hand garments have taken the form of an industry in Lahore. It would be quite interesting to note that not only the poor but people from well-off families also purchase garments from these stalls. Shopkeepers are of the view that besides price hike and low income, terrorism has also affected this industry as people hesitate to visit crowded places which include these kinds of bazaars as well.

A two day seminar on ‘Democracy and Decentralisation’ was held by the Freedom Gate Pakistan in Holiday Inn, on the 29th and 30th of November. Freedom Gate is a network (not organisation) of the alumni of the International Academy of Leadership in Germany (IAF) and is funded by its partner, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF), a semi-Government German organisation.

The school provides opportunity to international participants to discuss policy issues, access liberal positions and create platforms to discuss, deliberate and discover like-minded people.

The inaugural speech was given by Olaf Kellerhoff, the country representative of FNF in Pakistan. He started off with broken Urdu, but soon reverted to English for our convenience and gave a brief introduction of FNF. Jami Chandio, a member of Freedom Gate and an intellectual, gave us an introductory briefing.

Later, everyone was given a sheet of paper and requested to define democracy. The definitions that emerged were diverse but surprisingly correct, for example ‘collective wisdom’, ‘public voice’, ‘power of the people’ etc. Later, we discussed the external and internal factors that affect democracy were discussed. It was done by four groups; each group came with its own factors, threats and catalysts of democracy in Pakistan.

It was heart-rending to see how insecure we have become. Very few points that emerged in this session were positive. The points pertaining to foreign powers were the most paranoid, especially India, US and even certain Muslim states.

The next day, Jami Chandio started by giving a quick recap. This was followed by a lecture on decentralisation and Pakistan’s constitutional history. Pakistan’s constitutional history was reviewed, with a focus on decentralisation laws. It was a little depressing, since Pakistan has been jostling with more or less the same issues for decades now. Almost all the military dictators have been anxious about devolving power. In the Musharraf era, a devolution plan materialised but much of the local government power was taken up by the centre.

At the end of every lecture, the participants were requested to sit in a randomly selected group and discuss the four aspects of an ideology. In this case it was ‘Democracy and Decentralisation’.

The final round was simulated talk show in favour and against local governments. Each participant played a different stakeholder in the show. This included a local businessman, MPA, Nazim, journalist, citizens etc. It was amusing to see how quickly we melt into the assigned role and start protecting our interests by hook or by crook. Like a typical T.V talk show, people started howling when not given a chance to speak. And the best scapegoat was the politician, who was accused of buying a new car just three months into office. Corruption and inefficiency were the main arguments against the local bodies. However, some participants commented that these problems are not unique to the local bodies but plague all social institutions in Pakistan.

The best aspect of this event was that barely any opinions was imposed. At the end of every lecture, which was usually brief, the participants were required to explore different dimensions of the issue together. The participants were a diverse group of politicians, professors, NGO workers, journalists and activists. Everyone had a different political leaning, some were even sitting MNAs and MPAs but from very different parties. There was often a consensus on ideas and how things ‘should’ be. The role of army, women, the poor masses and political parties were all examined and encouraged. However, there was no agreement on real historical events and current affairs, be it a former martial law dictator or corruption charges against party heads. Two minor problems in the interactive sessions were that people tended to become very emotional and generalised regularly. On the positive side, everyone was firm on ideological grounds that democracy is the best system possible and must sustain.