Pakistan Railways (PR) Headquarters has turned into a breeding ground for mosquitoes owing to the lethargic attitude of railway high-ups towards cleanliness.
Government establishments in the city have become a high risk area with regard to dengue outbreak. The PR Headquarters is one of these places where mosquitoes breed unbridled owing to constant presence of stagnated water in the headquarters vicinity. Dirty water stays accumulated in the water ponds adjacent to the main gate of PR Headquarters, making it the breeding ground for dengue, Pakistan Today’s team found out. The railway employees said that these water ponds were never sprayed for dengue, neither the fountain’s water was ever changed. Some officials claimed that the water ponds were maintained for emergency situations. Poor cleanliness and water accumulation is considered to be favorable for dengue breeding and the Punjab government has so far been unable to clear such places of water.
According to District Dengue Control authorities, railway yards and reservations, railway quarters were among the dangerous zones but they could not do any thing at the federal departments and their premises until they requested for the spray against mosquitoes. PR Deputy General Manager Rizwanul Haq Hashmi said that he would check into the water ponds as well as the fountain. He, however, said that he had ordered officials to take precautionary measures and would take action if a place was left sprayed.