THE residents of Karachi’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA) are enduring daily hardships due to substandard municipal services provided by the Clifton Cantonment Board (CBC). The almost constant work on the drainage system has left the roads in a bad shape. The novelty of having a drainage system placed in the middle of the road remains unprecedented as one fails to find a parallel anywhere else in the world.

Streetlight poles and fixtures on most streets are unsightly, poorly placed, and cluttered with haphazard, dangling wires. Other than the main roads, streets and lanes across DHA remain engulfed by darkness post-sunset as there are either no or not enough streetlights.

Besides, the traffic management system in the area is seriously ineffective, with malfunctioning traffic lights and illogical time settings causing frequent congestion, especially at major intersections. The misery is compounded by dim signal lights and lack of competent traffic engineering skills.

The CBC urgently needs competent leadership at all levels to manage the municipal affairs in a professional way.

Shehzad Ahmed
Karachi

Published in Dawn, May 14th, 2024