THIS refers to my earlier letter `Death traps` (Feb 3) which called the attention of the authorities towards the deplorablecondition of the I.I. Chundrigar Road in the context of the prime minister`s visit to Karachi. Surprisingly, the authorities had sprung into action, doing construction and repair work outside the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) at an unrealistically fast pace; unrealistic because a decorative wall was built and plastered in a single day, and painted the very next day. The pavement was refurbished with pavers and collared with cement also in a single day.
The wall was built in such a haste that the builder did not have the time to bother about the fact that the wall had completely blocked pedestrian movement on the pavement.
No water curing was done, and no proper time was given for cement work to harden.
The result was obvious. The cement collar on the pavement has already vanished, manhole collars are broken, their covers have caved in, and the plaster of the wall has chipped away. No wonders. No worries. It is business as usual in Karachi.
