“Nodding the head does not row the boat.” – Irish proverb

Deathbed of mining in Baluchistan

In Balochistan, mining is a major source of income for all, but hardly for the poor communities. Many incidents take place in different mines because of lack of safety measures. Majority incidents that surface never reach the media’s light and are never reported. Sometimes a couple of major disastrous incidents ever catch the media’s and hence the government’s attention. Last year, over 90 labourers were reported dead during a mining accident and this year’s January 2019 already reported death of four. Its high time the authorities converge efforts to look into the matter and prevent these incidents from happening.

Hisham Zafar,
Quetta.

Pitiful condition of roads

In the span of a year, reported road accidents have mounted in numbers across Karachi. But this time the blame doesn’t befall on just rash driving, for the rundown, broken roads are also to blame. Many main roads, including the main University Road in Karachi has been ‘under construction’ for the longest time, with no diligent progress in ages. Not only these broken roads contribute to traffic jams during rush hours, they also pose an eminent threat to the drivers and their vehicles. Countless rickshaw and bike accidents were reported, where many of the riders have lost their lives in fatal accidents. The state of the roads have also contributed towards citizens further breaking the law as misdirected cars take the wrong-way, clearer routes more often, lead to traffic during rush hours. It is high time the Sindh government took this issue into consideration and complete the pending road construction work on a priority basis.

Hareem Zubair,
Karachi

Dark world of drug addiction

Sights of people in torn clothing injecting substances into their veins or smoking hashish on busy roads are no longer sights of ubiquity. Drug addiction has always been a grave issue of the urban cities of Pakistan and no efforts have been made to combat it. It has been on the rise with not much done to curb its unpleasant growth. Drug abusers don’t only pose a grave threat to their own health but impose a disparaging impact on the society and the people they come in contact with. Quest of cash to tend to such addiction has also lead them to commit many violent crimes, which again aggravates the crime situation in the city. The concerned authority must take control of the situation, before it worsens.

Jamil Hussain,
Karachi

In need of public parks

Most of the public parks in Karachi are being neglected and falling into disrepair due to bad maintenance. One of the reasons why children are not interested in outdoor games is the poor maintenance of public parks. Outdoor activities encourage physical development and coordination in a child, enhance their motor skills, flexibility and improve their fitness. Apart from this outdoor games allow them to appreciate nature, promote wellness with Vitamin D synthesis and help them breathe in fresh air. I would like the concerned authorities to take an immediate action and supervise the assigned workers to ensure that they are properly maintained.

Sarosh Sultana,
Karachi