It is almost everyday here, that I see road accidents. I am not a traffic warden. I do not take to road more than twice a day, either. Once in the morning, while going to my office, and the second time when, I return home everyday, is when I hit the road. Yet, running into a road traffic accident scene almost everyday, is like a norm here. This is Rawalpindi that I am talking about.
Coming from Lahore, one naturally is appalled at the dilapidated state of the roads and the traffic one comes across at Rawalpindi. The drivers, do not bother to follow rules, including myself. I was stopped by a traffic warden the other day for using my cell while driving and it took me half an hour to convince him, that I did not violate rules habitually, and that it was my mistake, I apologized thoroughly for. The warden, I was impressed by one thing, did not show any interest in whose wife or daughter I was. His only point was that, it was his duty to levy fine on me and that, he must do that by any means. “Else, how are we supposed to do our duty?” , he had said to me. I wonder, if that is that, the violations are checked so diligently here, then who is responsible for the mayhem, on the roads of this city, any hour of the day.
One very obvious reason, is the lack of well built roads in this city. Unfortunately, the roads in Lahore do not win any applause for the Chief Minister of the province of Punjab. Although, I acknowledge that Lahore definitely has better roads that accommodate huge influx of traffic anytime of the day, and the credit should have gone to the Mayor of Lahore, the reality is not so. The credit for the construction of roads in Lahore goes to a business family, that entered the politics to further its prospects in trade and business, utilizing the government offices. Since holding a prestigious government office, affords better opportunities and an unimpeded road to flourishing and multiplying the assets, one already possesses, it was a great decision of the head of the Sharif family.
Unfortunately, this extractive nature of this family business has not helped the masses in reality. I would have been a great fan of this family, had they done an iota of justice to the offices they hold, even today. Let it be business, but just for a while consider this one fact! Doesn’t this appear shameful to any of the members of this family, that being a Chief Minister of Punjab, makes you answerable for all the lack of development in all the cities and districts of the province? It is not just Lahore and Raiwind that constitute Punjab! One office of the Chief Minister, cannot afford to justify its existence regarding one entire province, leave alone the office of the Prime Minister and the good it has done to the whole country.
The accidents I have seen lately were all fatal, and extremely tragic. One does not come across frank blood spilled on the road in a road traffic accident, on a daily basis. It is a traumatic sight to witness and completely devastating to the families and the individuals directly encountering the fatalities. If it is not just the roads, you believe, then it is the implementation of rules and the regulating authorities in question here. It is very convenient to praise the Chief Minister for better roads, at whatever the cost though, in Lahore, but the truth and the facts do not allow this. The facts are staring at us blatantly. The casualties on the roads everyday are piling up, and adding heavily to the conscience of all of us. We are the witnesses to these accidents, and we overlook these because we are safe, so far. What will it take to question the Chief Minister of Punjab, for the injustice faced by the inhabitants of cities other than Lahore? How long will it take us to realize that one city of Lahore even if converted into the like of Paris or DC , will never do justice to the outskirts of it? Even if you just mean business, do it in a way, that is not shameful to all of us. May be just overhauling of the infrastructure of roads in Lahore is adding enough of a boost to your annual income, let me suggest a way to further boost your profits. If doing it in black cannot be helped as it is innate with you, do it for the rest of the province too. Let the rest of the province also acquire better roads and routes for communication and travelling!
Let me say, it is just a glimpse of one route I use for my conveyance in this city. If I take into account the state of the hospitals, the schools, and the public parks and places, of the province into account and put an analysis of all in front of the Chief Minister, I , in my right mind cannot comprehend what he will have to say in his defence. Then again, I honestly believe WE , all of us are responsible for this. We see and we ignore and we accept it as it is, as if we are virtual slaves to them. We need to wake up! We need to break the spell of indifference surrounding us. We need to, it’s already too late. We will be , in a decade or so transferring the same sufferings to our next generation, that we inherited from our preceding one. We do not want to leave a legacy of inadequacy due to apathy, behind us. That is why we need to do something about it!!! It does not require any rocket science to figure out, who out of the drivers, the traffic wardens or the ‘elected’ chief minister is more responsible for the present state of the traffic here.
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