SUKKUR, Aug 15: The country’s 61st Independence Day was celebrated with lacklustre activity as compared to the traditional fervour and devotion observed in the past in Sukkur, and other parts of interior of Sindh.

People of this area are facing colossal economic and social problems in the form of poor law and order, ever-rising price hike as petrol, gas, and electricity have gone almost out of reach of the common man.

Lot of people preferred to stay home as they faced 10 to 14 hours, declared or unannounced, loadshedding.

Almost all the roads of Sukkur city have been dug up since past over one year, while at several places the roads have been allowed to dug up for laying the underground cables for mobile phone companies, for which they have also made payments to the local taluka municipal administrations.

The sanitation staffs, therefore, have been rendered useless and ineffective because they are not able to carry out the usual cleaning and sweeping of roads, and a survey by local journalists on the Independence Day showed heaps of filth and garbage lying on roads, footpaths and streets.

However, some show of ‘spirit and enthusiasm’ was exhibited by teenaged motorcyclists who went on roads without silencers on their bikes making a hell lot of noise all daylong. They came out in groups. This festivity continued throughout the day till midnight causing a lot of noise pollution for the people.

A lot of injuries were reported when many of these motorcyclists tried to display their wheelie expertises, which is already prohibited under the law.

The centre of activity remained mostly the area of Mohammad Bin Qasim Park and Dolphin chowk, where even the local police was unable to control them.

The injured were later rushed to different hospitals.

Reports also surface about snatching of five or six motorcycles by armed bandits, who managed to flee.

Police has registered cases, but no arrest was made yet.

The district government also showed lack of interest on the day, contrary to such events held in the past, and this was because there is a tussle going on between the district government and the ruling PPP government.

A no trust motion was moved in the Zila Nazim Syed Nasir Hussain Shah a few months ago and the matter is now pending before the court of law.

The DCO of Sukkur, Inamullah Dharejo, who is the brother of Provincial Minister Jam Saifullah Dharejo was inducted in place of Khawaja Shafiq Ahmed, and reportedly, he was brought in to give a tough time to the zila nazim, and similar inductions were made at Jacobabad, Khairpur and Shikarpur by the Sindh government.

However, the taluka administration of Sukkur city organised an Independence Day function at the Jinnah Municipal Stadium, where Nazim Naeem Siddiqui of Muttahida Qaumi Movement created an opportunity for the joining the DCO and the zila nazim at this August ceremony.

A march past was also conducted by the local schoolchildren, which was responded by the zila nazim at the stage in the company of the taluka nazim and the DCO of Sukkur.

A brief speech was also delivered by nazim on this occasion.

A Navy Mela was also organised by local chapter of Pakistan Navy in the night at Rohri, where cultural show was also held.