|||MAG||| August 02 - 08, 2008
|
Our Civic
(Non) Sense!
By Sumeha Khalid |
Warning: include() [function.include]: URL file-access is disabled in the server configuration in E:\inetpub\vhosts\magtheweekly.com\httpdocs\15\feature.php on line 72
Warning: include(http://www.magtheweekly.com/skymidpage.php) [function.include]: failed to open stream: no suitable wrapper could be found in E:\inetpub\vhosts\magtheweekly.com\httpdocs\15\feature.php on line 72
Warning: include() [function.include]: Failed opening 'http://www.magtheweekly.com/skymidpage.php' for inclusion (include_path='.;./includes;./pear') in E:\inetpub\vhosts\magtheweekly.com\httpdocs\15\feature.php on line 72
A few days back I happened to visit one of Clifton's posh apartment buildings, whose exterior, I had so far been admiring from a distance. When one of my friends was looking for a place to rent, I recommended she check that particular apartment building out besides the plethora she had already seen. How I wish I had not done, but how on earth was I supposed to know that looks could be so deceiving. What appeared to be so pristine from the outside could be the exact opposite from the inside was something I couldn't even imagine in my wildest dreams. And so, when the opportunity came up, a few days back to collect a CD from a model from the very apartments, was I in for a rude shock?
 As I entered the reception area it reminded me of a government hospital courtesy the tiled flooring and the placement of the elevators. Preferring to take the stairs, as my destination was the first floor, I was horrified to be standing next to a dark horror-like mezzanine with two dirty and humongous gates staring at me. The dark holes were reminiscent of a scary movie and I quickly scaled the flight of stairs wanting to reach the first floor. But the sight that met my eyes was not even the last thing I had imagined. I stepped out into a decaying littered hallway with water dripping from every possible crevice in the walls. There was a dirty stench all around me and the hallway seemed as if it had been eons since it had seen a janitor. As I took a few tentative steps, some trash came sailing down from one of the upper levels and landed a few inches away from me with a thud. I halted right there, barely able to stop myself from uttering an expletive and wondering which trash bin I had walked into. To make a
long, scary story short - the dirt, the stench, the litter, the pan spittle in the various corners left me disgusted with us as a people - for this so-called posh building had reached this state purely due to our lack of civic sense as a nation.
Another instance of the lack of the same is when you get an opportunity to get an aerial view of Karachi by night; the sight fills our hearts with pride. The old landmarks like the Frere Hall, Mohatta Palace combined with the small yet impressive skyline are the heart of the city and the lights blaze on till late at night.
Multi-storeyed buildings have changed the skyline of the city in the last two decades and flyovers are slowly but surely transporting us smoothly into the 21st century. Neon lights advertising various products and services, bowling alleys, and the like, add to the charm of the city while gaily lit fountains give no indication of the water scarcity.
The nightscape of the city can stand comparison with that of any other city in our part of the world. But closer inspection by daylight reveals ugly flaws, which may be traced to our lack of civic sense and indifference to hygiene.
While being a coastal city makes us feel blessed to have the opportunity to walk by the seashore in the mornings but walking on the shoreline is hardly a pleasant experience. The litter that covers the beach - plastic bags, disposable cups, bottles and wrappers - is beyond description. The few garbage bins that have been provided are rarely used.
Spitting in public places is another vice in Pakistan and Karachi is no exception. Two-wheeler riders very often have to perform acrobatics to escape being hit by spittle from bus passengers, lorry drivers and other two-wheeler riders; not to mention the habitual pan-chewing spitters who leave ugly markings wherever they go.
For all practical purposes all the footpaths in the city have been turned into shopping galleries or parking areas. The problem has become so acute today that pedestrians no longer walk on the footpath but are forced to walk on the road.
Traffic rules and regulations too present the same dismal picture. To many of the motorists, one way traffic is meant to be violated and the sign No Parking holds nearly no meaning for our people. What's more, you will find the No Parking zones full of double parked vehicles. Over taking from the left and not caring to lower one's headlight in congested places after dark has become the norm rather than the exception. People even violate traffic signals at will. In such a situation, it is not surprising to see the number of road mishaps rising by the day.
There is also this complete disregard for other people's property. A friend of mine recently told me that her husband bought a brand new car from his life's savings. The very next day, somebody -- probably some children -- scratched its body with some sharp object, leaving its owner in a state of shock.
Why are we as a nation so insensitive to such matters? Isn't it time we did something about this?
One wonders why we Pakistanis as a whole score so poorly on civic sense? It's intriguing that our people would spit openly in the streets but would go to a place like Singapore and won't dare to do as much as throw a bus ticket on the pavements of that city.
It seems that the most important reasons for this flaw in our collective psyche is the fact that we are all conscious of `our own importance.' Thanks to this, we feel it is all right to create a mess but not to clean it.
As with almost everything, the remedy should start with the home and the school. Unless we train our children in the basics of civic sense and more important, ensure that we practice it also, no amount of lamentation will solve the problem.
Only this would ensure that our streets are cleaner, more of the silent majority vote in elections, more courtesy is exhibited to fellow users of the roads and we go about our business cleaning any mess we make and facilitating others to go about their business.
 Let us not forget that the 'they' we call them are the 'they' they call us - in other words, to make sense of civic sense, bring some sensibility and sensitivity into the whole process. If you do create a mess, clean it up - don't wait for them!
We have programmes, which scratch the surface of the issue but what we need is an awareness drive, which will create a deep-rooted sense of responsibility in every citizen. Sporadic efforts have been made and then given up. What we need is a collective effort to instill civic sense in us as a nation.
Civic sense means social ethics -- the positive perception, understanding, attitudes, towards society or community. Then why not start afresh with a positive manner towards achieving a civil society.n |
|
| |
|
