A COUPLE of decades ago, the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) area in Karachi was considered the most upscale reside-ntial area of the city. However, the process of deterioration started gradually, and now the salient feature of DHA is broken roads and footpaths.

Besides, garbage and rubble can be seen at every open plot of land and around street corners, making it nothing but a posh dump. The perennial paucity of water adds to the litany of residents’ woes.

On the one hand, Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC) has increased maintenance taxes exorbitantly, while, on the other hand, it has almost stopped attending to complaints. Streetlights are not repaired for months and years.

Beggars surround the mosques and harass shoppers in bazaars. Parking lots and footpaths are encroached upon by tables and chairs of tea shops, while cars are parked on the roads leaving no space for the pedestrians. Security is non-existent because of which crime is rampant. The rich and powerful have multiple armed guards who sit outside their houses, brandishing automatic weapons, thereby intimidating the poor pedestrians.

The police should arrest such guards, as display of weapons is prohibited except by the government’s security organisations. The DHA and CBC head offices maintain huge lawns that are not accessible to the public, and waste thousands of gallons of water meant for the residents. Visitors to these offices have no place to park their cars. These lawns should be converted into parking lots for the visitors.

Asif Jah
Karachi

Published in Dawn, December 7th, 2024