| March 24, 2008 | Monday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 15, 1429 |
Public utility charges
Women have still a long way to go
With the advent of summer I have started shivering in my boots. My friends and colleagues are surprised as to why I would quaver now when I passed the extreme cold of winter without donning woolies at all. The reason for my epileptic state is that I dread what our illustrious utility company KESC has in store for us this summer.
The headlines are already pretty ominous “Power outages loom large” or “Consumers protest at KESC head office”, etc. The company is afflicted with severe pecuniary problems. The KESC, it seems like me, is in the red, owing something to the tune of Rs37.4 billion to its suppliers.
Enter the CDGK and KWSB, which in turn owe the utility service Rs1 billion and Rs3 billion respectively, are now ready to pay their dues (how thoughtful of them). The burden of the rest of the dues as reports are filtering in will be passed on to the average consumer with a 10 per cent raise in the power tariff.
Who is responsible for this malaise is incomprehensible, but one thing for sure is that Karachians are going to pay the price of KESC’s ineptitude and mismanagement. Then, it will be a summer of seething discontent raising fears of power riots and chaos. And it is yet to be seen how the citizens are going to vent their frustration and tension. Does everyone have to suffer when they pay their utility bills promptly?
One idea being floated is to have two days off (Saturday and Sunday) to compensate for the power shortage. But then again, are we so civic minded to consume less on off days?
A glaring example of KESC’s warped power distribution system is that when power outages occur for several hours on end, street lights are on in some parts of the city in the daytime also.
The new government is coming in and it is yet to be seen what they will do to address the woes of the citizens.
Even as I write this piece there is no power in my area for the past eight hours.
Meanwhile, I am seriously thinking of going into the candle supply business in which this summer I will certainly make a fortune.—Syed Ali Anwer
The joy Sunday brings
Picture an open-air shopping mall with no marble flooring, no fancy cafes and definitely no cooling. However, it does hold almost every household item you would ever need, along with a diverse clothing line, creative furniture and the latest music and movies you have heard of.
This is what the Sunday Bazaar is all about and more.
Usually known as Itwaar Bazaar, this particular market appears in the barren plots of Defence Phase 8 almost overnight. Ripped, old tents and sheets enclose a mass area every Sunday morning, rain or shine. Although with the rain, the muddy paths and unpaved alleys become a bit of a trek, but otherwise, the market is a bargain shopper’s dream come true.
Apart from the household items and necessities, the Sunday Bazaar also has tiny lanes full of garments, worn and unworn shoes, designer bags and discarded books. Luckily, the prices are low-key, just like the set-up.
Although the market is an open treasure chest, people still complain about the heat and dirt while fussing about the rush.
The little boys approaching you constantly, asking to help carry your merchandise don’t make your experience any better
but we can’t have tranquillity and cheap material, both. It’s one or the other. And I am a fan of the latter option, though a little bit of peace and calm wouldn’t hurt either.
An avid fan of old books unavailable otherwise, of fine quality DVD’s, of shoes and bags with designer labels but thrift-store prices, would find it sheer joy to browse through the bazaar’s lanes. Karachi has a lot of shopping malls and designer stores. You would probably spend Rs500 or more on a single item at these new upcoming places. However, with a little bit of patience, determination and browsing, you will probably find at least four items, which you can buy from the Sunday Bazaar in that amount.
People living at the other end of the city, have now started driving up all the way to the bazaar just because of the variety and prices. Never mind, a little bit of sweat and dirt won’t hurt especially when you are getting so much for so little.—Shyema Sajjad
Urban-rural contrast
In my last visit to Hyderabad I came across an old pal of my college days, Nasrullah Jakhrani. We met after a gap of over three decades. I found him with a long face, which was quite unusual for a man brought up with a silver spoon in the agrarian society from the interior of Sindh.
One would always miss him for his jokes and gossip. But this time Jakhrani was quite a different man. His worries were written on his face. Still, when I asked, he narrated how his life changed when he moved to Karachi. For the rural elites, cleanliness, rule of law, electricity, education, health and other facilities in the city were the biggest attractions in the olden days. But now, after over two decades of his urban life, he found no difference between rural and urban life as every day when he read screaming headlines of sensational crimes, including suicide bombings in almost all big cities.
He regretted his decision to move to a busy street where the next door neighbour was reluctant to come to one’s rescue if some outlaws made their way into one’s house and keep one’s family hostage at gunpoint. “They only come to sympathise with you when the thieves have left you high and dry. This situation is contrary to rural life, where even now people rush to your rescue even in the odd hours of the night,” he said.
“Now when I ask my family to go back to the roots of farm life,” he added regretfully, “the children are reluctant as they are addicted to city life and every time they go out, my family remains worried about their safe return from maddening traffic, street crimes and health hazards.”—Habib Khan Ghori
Compiled by Syed Hassan Ali
Email: karachian@dawn.com
Sir,
Through an advertisement appearing in the papers on 24/01/2008, the CDGK has invited objections to the imposition of ‘Public Utility Charges’ on all sorts of residential and other structures in Karachi.
These charges will exorbitantly increase the liabilities of the citizens of Karachi. These are supposed to be paid to a Chinese firm on a sharing basis by the CDGK for collection and disposal of garbage from the city.
The increase in the charges paid to a garbage collector from the housing or business units will be manifold, as per the chart suggesting the rates to be imposed.
There is little awareness among the public about this tax. It is requested that the date for filing objections be extended by at least a fortnight and ample publicity be made to provide the public information regarding the after-effects of this tax upon them.
Perhaps an editorial by your esteemed daily will help in helping the public in general.
SHAHID ABDUL SATTAR
Karachi
Remembering a teacher
Sir,
Miss Zohra Majeed started her career as a lecturer in Urdu in the Karachi College for Women, Princess Street (now called Chand Bibi Road), Karachi. After her marriage in 1963, she became Mrs Zohra Shafique.
After the nationalization of colleges, she was appointed assistant professor and principal of HRH Aga Khan Girls College, Karachi. Thereafter she became professor and principal, Raunaq-i-Islam Government Girls Degree College, Kharadar. She retired as a professor of Urdu, PECHS Government Girls College, Karachi. She was given great respect by her students wherever she worked. She also gained great popularity among her colleagues.
Sadly, quite recently she was hospitalised and as ill-luck would have it, during hospitalization she suffered two heart attacks that proved fatal.
She was a teacher par excellence and will be missed by her students for a long time to come. She was the epitome of gentleness and kindness. She loved the students like a true teacher and was always ready to help them, in whatever way she could. May her soul rest in eternal peace.
M. SHAFIQUE AHMED
Karachi
Stray dogs
Sir,
Our area, Defence View, is full of stray dogs, which have already bitten a number of people. A child of four lost his life due to a dog bite about a year back.
Letters and emails have been sent several times to the authorities, while residents have also visited the authorities, but the answer provided by some was that it’s the duty of the CDGK, while others said it is the responsibility of the police to control the stray dogs.
My humble request to the authorities concerned is to please take urgent action regarding the removal of stray dogs in our area so that people can feel secure.
KHURRAM MOHAMMAD KHAN
Defence View Phase II
Faulty towers
Sir,
Cellphone companies are in the habit of installing their towers and heavy equipment on the roofs of tall residential buildings. This is in spite of the objections of the resident-owners to the builders of such projects.
The action by the builder of Sadaf Apartments, located on Korangi Road, DHA, is one such example where the builder, in spite of the objections of the resident-owners, has allowed two hoarding companies to install heavy frames and a cellphone company to install a tower, heavy generator and other equipment on the roof of the building. The residents have approached the DHA, Clifton Cantonment Board, nazim and other relevant authorities, without any results.
Part of the building has already developed cracks and it is becoming unsafe for residents. The guard of the cellphone company has also locked the doors to the roof. In case of fire or an emergency, residents have no access to the roof for their safety.
We, the residents, appeal to the authorities concerned to have the tower with the associated equipment and the hoarding frames removed before a crisis takes place.
RESIDENTS OF SADAF APARTMENTS
Karachi
PTCL blues
Sir,
Despite several complaints, it is very strange that no effort has been made so far to restore my phone (461-0086). I have been paying my dues regularly and my November 2007 bill was issued for Rs4,460, which is an unjustified amount. Still, it was paid within the due date.
I have also been advised by the person on duty at the relevant exchange to forget 461-0086 and opt for a new number. I have refused as I want to keep my current number.
I am sure that the needful will be done to rectify the fault at the earliest.
ZAHID PERVEZ
Karachi
Sir,
My phone (660-9869) has been noisy for almost one year. Several complaints were lodged through the automated system and in writing to the divisional engineer concerned, but the fault has still not been rectified. As an additional shock, I found out I was being charged for three overseas calls made to Italy in the bill of December 2007. I was advised to pay the bill and to make a complaint to the divisional engineer (which I did), ensuring that the matter would be settled and the amount of unknown overseas calls would be reimbursed in the Jan 2008 bill.
However, no action was taken and instead, another shock came to me in the Jan 2008 bill, where I was charged for three unknown calls to Guinea Bissau. I am the only person using this phone and I have no contacts in Italy or Guinea Bissau.
Regarding the V-phone of PTCL, the situation is not any better. I bought two V-phones (545-6739 and 602-6323). In none of these sets is there ever more than one signal of the network and sometimes there is none. I made several complaints but nothing was ever done.
DR HAJRA KHATOON
Karachi
city@dawn.com
ANOTHER milestone for Pakistani women in the parliament and government was achieved last week with the swearing in of the first woman speaker of the National Assembly, Fehmida Mirza.
This compensates somewhat for the blow that was dealt last December to women in politics by the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, who had earlier made history for women in Pakistan when she became the country’s first woman prime minister in 1988.
Having a woman speaker puts us in the category of some 30 countries which currently have women presiding over their parliaments. These 30 countries range from the developing Gambia, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Lesotho to the developed USA, the UK, Austria and New Zealand.
Apart from the first woman speaker, another milestone achievement by the new National Assembly is the record number of female legislators: 74 out of the 342 members, 60 from reserved seats and 14 from general seats. The previous National Assembly elected in 2002 had 72 women, 60 from reserved seats and 12 from general seats.
This raises the percentage of women in the National Assembly to 21.6 per cent, slightly up from the 21.1 per cent in the previous parliament. This means one in four to five MNAs are women. Before 2002, women had never comprised more than two per cent of the MNAs.
With these 21 percentage figures, we now compare favourably with the world and regional averages: the world average of women in parliament is 17.9 per cent while the regional average (Asia) of women in parliament is 16.9 per cent (Inter-Parliamentary Union report, December 2007).
While Pakistan is ranked higher than some developed countries like France (18.2 per cent), USA (16.8 per cent) and Japan (9.4 per cent) in terms of percentage of women in parliament, within South Asia we rank second, after Afghanistan which has 27.7 per cent women (or 67) in the 242 seat parliament elected in the 2005 elections.
Nepal’s percentage of women in parliament is 17.3 per cent, Bangladesh 15 per cent (in the previous parliament elected in 2001 which had been dissolved since 2006), Maldives 12 per cent, India 9.1 per cent, Sri Lanka 5.8 per cent and Bhutan 2.7 per cent.
This increased representation of women in our National Assembly in the 2000s is in line with a similar general trend in parliaments worldwide.
Since the landmark 1995 Beijing Platform for Action which called on nations to “review the differential impact of electoral systems on the political representation of women in electoral bodies and consider where appropriate the adjustment or reform of those systems”, various governments from the UK and Belgium to South Africa, Rwanda and Pakistan have adopted electoral quotas and other proactive measures to address the longstanding gender imbalance in parliament.
By December 2007, 20 countries had succeeded in meeting the widely recognised minimum benchmark to ensure a “critical mass” of women participation in parliaments, i.e., 30 per cent women representation in parliament. Meanwhile, another 46 countries, Pakistan included, had managed to achieve 20 to 29 per cent representation of women in parliament.
But the 21 percentage of women in our National Assembly falls short of the “critical mass” of 30 per cent women participation in parliament.
In 2002, a 33 per cent reservation of seats for women at all tiers of government in Pakistan had been announced but this percentage has fallen since because of subsequent increase in the overall number of seats in the National Assembly.
In September 2007, four months before the general elections originally scheduled for January 2008, women politicians and activists belonging to various political parties and organisations had demanded, at an All Parties Women Conference in Karachi organised by an NGO, that women be given 33 per cent representation in parliament, as was promised in 2002. Their demand fell on deaf ears.
Despite the strides made in the representation of women in our National Assembly and the selection of a woman speaker, and although women also play important leadership roles in community and non-government organisations, the representation of women in public office remains considerably lower than that of men.
In fact, their representation in public office is nowhere even near the 21 percentage women representation in the National Assembly. For instance the last elected federal government initially had only one woman minister in its cabinet of 33. This later increased to three women ministers, but still this put women’s representation in the cabinet at only nine per cent. In the caretaker government, men held all but one of the 24 ministerial posts.
Also, men have always been holding the positions of all four chief ministers and provincial governors. The first and only woman governor was Begum Ra’ana Liaquat Ali Khan, who was Governor of Sindh in the 1970s.
Representation means more than elected politics: it means that more women must have seats in the cabinet, that more women must be appointed to senior decision-making positions, and that more women’s voices must be heard and included when major political reform or transformation is undertaken.
Some argue, however, that it is not only about numbers. While a critical mass of women is necessary to ensure women’s participation, the quality of the representation is equally important. Thus, they point out, it is crucial to avoid the trap of electing or appointing ‘token women’.
Undoubtedly, ensuring that both women and men will be able to influence decisions and resource allocations requires going beyond simply increasing the number of women in different positions to providing real opportunities for influencing the agendas, institutions and processes of decision-making.