Zaman Park inaccessible to utilities staff for performing duties

LAHORE: The utility authorities, companies and organisations, like Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) and Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa), have almost no access to the Zaman Park for performing their duties and rectifying the complaints as the workers of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), including ‘Tiger Force’ members, guarding Imran Khan create hurdles for them or send them back.

The situation is worsening fast as the workers staying in the camps are not only allegedly littering the area but also stealing electricity and choking the sewer lines connected with the main lines of the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) for the last many days.

In recent days, some officials refused to go inside Zaman Park due to the bad behaviour of the PTI workers, Dawn has learnt.

"We are in great trouble these days as our workers are stopped by the PTI workers at the main entrance. Resultantly, they either come back to the office or take other difficult routes to enter Zaman Park in case of any complaint. The workers also stop our vehicles (suction machines/dewatering pumps etc). Eventually, they return to the office. Facing and arguing with such political workers is really horrible," a Wasa officer deplored while talking to Dawn on Sunday.

Lesco, LWMC, Wasa workers are stopped, teased by PTI activists

"Now, we have decided not to send our field teams to Zaman Park since they feel insecure due to the PTI workers who recently attacked the police during a couple of operations carried out to arrest Imran Khan," he added.

The officer, requesting anonymity, said Wasa directorate had also written a letter to the Zaman Park Housing Society's administration in this regard recently, telling them that the residential locality's sewerage might get choked within a week or.

"The workers have also made temporary latrines/toilets and they are causing huge littering and environmental issues there. It seems there is no one to stop them and lead them in a right direction," he lamented.

On the other hand, the sources said the PTI workers are also intercepting the meter readers there who visit the area to take the reading of electricity and gas meters. They also allegedly tease the cleanliness teams of the Lahore Waste Management Companies (LWMC).

"There are reports that the workers stop everyone intending to enter Zaman Park from the main entrance. On a couple of occasions, they stopped the official vehicles of Lesco, Wasa etc at the entry points. Later, the vehicles either returned or opted for other passages to enter the locality," a source told this reporter.

He said two tandoors needed to be checked whether or not they were being run on gas (directly from the lines) or on the firewood.

"It seems that Zaman Park is almost a no-go area in the Punjab capital," he added.

The Wasa managing director expressed ignorance of the issue, saying: "I will check it out from my staff in this regard".

Talking to Dawn, Lahore Electric Supply Company's board of directors (BoD) Chairman Mian Nauman said there was no such issue until a couple of months ago. But as soon as the PTI local leaders and activists started setting up camps outside and inside the Zaman Park, the complaints related to electricity theft also emerged.

"The problem is that our teams are not being given access to check and penalise those involved in the electricity theft," he complained and added that there were also reports that the Lesco teams going there for routine duties were also being stopped at the entry points.

"In such a situation and insecure environment, how can our teams enter the locality and perform their duties?" he asked.

PTI Lahore President Sheikh Imtiaz Ahmad was not available for comments.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2023

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