TAX REBATE: The recent rains in Karachi once again exposed the substandard road construction work undertaken by the contractor mafia. There seems to be no accountability whatsoever of the contractors who build roads that fail to withstand even a couple of days of rain. The motorists in Karachi pay exorbitant amounts of taxes to the provincial and federal governments both at the time of registration of their vehicles and as annual motor vehicle tax. They need to be given a rebate in these taxes on account of the accelerated depreciation of their vehicles, and the mental agony they face while driving on these roads.

Aamir Malik
Karachi

DRUG ADDICTION: The second phase of the Drug-Free Peshawar project was announced recently, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were invited to participate in the bidding process. However, some NGOs were excluded from the process. The relevant authorities should address the issue to ensure that high-quality interventions are made available to those who need them.

Shabir Ahmad
Peshawar

UNNECESSARY CHECKS: Anyone travelling to Karachi from Hub encounters traffic police officials standing at ‘strategic’ points and harassing the public. They stop commuters at various points to check licences. Even when all the docu-ments are in order, people are often fined unfairly and illegally. Those who question such actions or refuse to comply face rude behaviour and, in some cases, even physical assault. The authorities concerned should address the issue urgently.

Uzair Baloch
Hub

BODY CAMERAS: This is with refe-rence to the report ‘Traffic police to wear body cameras’ (Sep t24). The idea is highly commendable as it is being practised in the West for a while now. But the question is: why should only traffic police wear these cameras? Why are body cameras not being worn by the entire police force?

Assad Shah
Rawalpindi

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2024