Illegal vehicles
Madam,
A recent report published in the media says there are about 200,000 vehicles in Karachi with fraudulent credentials. These vehicles were never registered and have not paid the annual road tax for years.
Mostly they carry fake number plates or AFR (applied for registration). In many cases, they illegally convert their number plates to ‘Government of Sindh’ or ‘Government of Pakistan’ – painting them green to fool the authorities.
It appears that in Sindh there is no mechanism to check this widespread crime. The Sindh chief minister should look into this matter on an urgent basis.
Saira Sohail,
Karachi.
Poor Karachi
Madam,
Karachi continues to be named among the least liveable cities in the world. The recent Global Liveability Index 2019 puts Karachi at fifth place in the least liveable cities in the world. Cities are evaluated on certain bases like stability, healthcare, culture, environment, education and infrastructure. The damning report suggests that the federal and provincial governments have both neglected Karachi.
How long will our authorities sleep over these issues?
Alia Khan,
Karachi.
Inclusive ethos
Madam,
Modi’s government ought to have realised that an inclusive ethos is too deeply ingrained in the Indian mind. The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, is being seen in the perspective of the National Population Register-National Register of Citizens, and there is not much to find fault with this perception. The fact is that the common man is truly apprehensive. This policy-troika now under way appears to delineate differences where none should exist. And this is precisely what has fuelled the peoples’ agitation. The government is yet to proceed beyond parsing a conciliatory sentence, much less open a dialogue. The deterioration in the economy and employment is only adding to the angst.
Narayanan,
Via e-mail.
Fire in Australia
Madam,
The wildfires caused by dry hot weather in Australia represent an ecological and humanitarian catastrophe of enormous proportions. The blood-red skies, spreading fires with apocalyptic fury, black smoke-filled atmosphere and kangaroos indigenous to Australia hopping to safety (or being not able to make it) speak of the intensity of the fires. Smoke from the fire has reached as far as Chile and Argentina.
It is almost impossible to comprehend the scale of the disaster. The official casualty figure has reached 28. The timely evacuation of entire communities has saved lives before they were engulfed by the blazing inferno. One estimate puts the charred area at about 13 million hectares. The raging fires have ripped through natural habitats of innumerable species of flora and fauna, resulting in the depletion of their numbers. Millions of animals are feared to have perished in the fires.
Inevitably, the air quality is at a hazardous level; smoke-filled atmosphere has caused a health crisis. Air pollution caused by the mega fires is so bad that there has been a rise in lung-related diseases in fire-ravaged areas. The unprecedented fires spurred by high temperatures have crippled the Australian economy; the Aussies indeed need a lot of generous donations for economic regeneration. It is heartening to know that the world’s top players in various games are planning ‘exhibition matches’ to raise funds for the post-fire reconstruction of Australia. The fires are a wake-up call to Australia; it has to now drastically reduce its export of coal and its carbon emissions to secure a relatively safer future.
Myra Shah,
Via e-mail.