Massive encroachment by auto mechanics, damaged streets, shortage of water, poor sanitation, prolonged load shedding and a lack of recreational facilities are the hallmarks of the Sector G/7 of the federal capital.
While visiting Sector G/7, one can easily see the actual performance of the Capital Development Authority (CDA), as residents are living in sub-human conditions due to the negligence of the premier civic body.
Ironic is the fact that the office of the CDA chairman is located in the very sector.
Narrow streets of the sector are full of potholes and in poor condition, with the residents complaining that several of their complaints have fallen on deaf ears.
“Despite our repeated complaints, the condition of the streets has only deteriorated. All of them are full of potholes,” said Mukhtar Zahid, a resident of sector G/7-4.
Adding to the residents’ plight are the clogged drains and sewerage system.
Mustafa Bashir, a resident, said the drains flowing along the streets had been clogged for a while and become a bother for the residents. “Though it is impossible to widen the narrow streets, the least the CDA can do is ensure cleanliness and maintenance of these streets,” he said.
The famous auto spare parts’ market, Khadda market, is also situated in Sector G/7 and most of the shopkeepers have encroached upon the public area in front of their shops. Still, the CDA is paying no heed to remove the encroachments.
All workshop owners park the under-repair vehicles along the main road and the hazardous smoke they emit further added to the residents’ agony. Illegal construction was also on the rise in the sector, as people have constructed rooms or flats in front of their houses and rented them.
Residents said that if timely steps were not taken by the CDA, the issue would create immense problems for the civic body in the near future. “We have to go to rose and jasmine garden for refreshment as recreational facilities in our sector are not up to the mark” said Hamad Ali, a local. He said playgrounds and parks of the sector had been neglected by the authorities concerned and it was impossible to use them.
Poor sanitation was also irking residents, who alleged that the sanitary complaint cell did not receive their complaints.
Garbage dumps in the sector were also unkempt, as the sanitation staff did not bother to dispose the waste regularly.
Residents said the dwellers of ‘Shopper Colony’, a shanty settlement in Sector G/7, had also become a nuisance, as “they lie on their beds along the main road, which becomes an embarrassing sight if you are travelling with a family”.
They said after 2005, their problems had only compounded and the sector needed CDA’s immediate attention.
