Dozens of buildings and residential quarters of the Pakistan Railways Hospital Mirpurkhas were submerged in knee-deep sewerage water on Sunday, resulting in a cause of concern and suffering for the Railways employees, patients and residents. The locals staged a protest demonstration against the Mirpurkhas Taluka Municipal Administration outside the Railways hospital. Protesters Dilshad, Faheem, Aadil, Ghulam Haider and others told this scribe that knee-deep sewerage water had submerged the Railways hospital, dispensary, maternity and child welfare centre, Railways inspection bungalow, mosques and dozens of residential quarters of Railway employees two days ago.
As a result, this menace has prevented hundreds of outdoor patients from reaching the hospital, especially women and children, the demonstrators added. They said that they had repeatedly requested Mirpurkhas Taluka Municipal Administrator Abdul Wahab Abbasi, the Mirpurkhas Tehsil Municipal Officer, the Railways Assistant Engineer, the Railways Station Master and other officers concerned of the Railways, but no action has been taken thus far. The sewerage water has severely disrupted routine life in dozens of residential colonies, including Railway Colony, Locku Shade, Mehmoodabad Phatak and other nearby areas, they added. As a result, the locals are facing the threat of an epidemic and viral diseases, including gastroenteritis; hepatitis A, B and C; vomiting; and other abdominal diseases, the protesters said.
hey demanded President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, the Railways Minister, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and Sindh Local Government Minister Agha Siraj Durrani to take serious notice of the gross negligence of the Mirpurkhas Taluka Municipal Administrator, the Mirpurkhas Tehsil Municipal Officer and the Railways officers concerned who are unwilling to take action as regards draining out the standing water from the Railways hospital, buildings and residential colonies. Meanwhile, Taluka Municipal Administrator Abdul Wahab Abbasi told this scribe that he was making efforts to drain out the sewerage water, but there were some old gutter lines that were creating hurdles because they are broken in several places.
