Who will bell the RAT: Karachi Hyderabad M9 Motorway

During my 37 days stay in Pakistan I had a three times a chance of traveling in between Karachi and Hyderabad. The road called national highway is undergoing through major works which will convert the road in multi traffic lanes in either way leading to great ease of the traffic and smooth journeys in between.

Until it goes to that final state driving on the road id full of dangers and no proper measures have been taken. To say the FWO is the leading principle contractor who is not only responsible for in time completion of the road but also the responsibility of providing safe journeys to those who use this road during its construction phase.

Unfortunately, the FWO has failed to meet international standards of health and safety standards in the following ways:

1. Alternate routes across the journey are not adequately signed.2. You will never see the Traffic Marshalls during the entire journey of 154km guiding the traffic
3. There is no help to the users for road breakdowns other than occasional help from Highway Police.
4. No first aid or emergency plan for those who become the victims of road accident or the road rage which results due to accidents of heavy traffic jams.
5. There are no updates in the newspapers, radio or at any media source.
This huge mess due to the nonexistence of Health & Safety advise by Health and Safety advisers or coordinates it has resulted in approximately 300 lives. There may be even more recorded or un recorded life losses resulted due to re-construction and widening of this road.

More hearting side of this terrible story is that neither the government nor the so called media in Pakistan has ever highlighted this burning issue. The government is busy in facing a corruption case or in pondering more money in their pockets by all illegal means. Media is either a scare of those powerful hands behind a CONTRACTOR or has been a partner in the corruption.

This is not an only road which will be built over the 300 lives and the loss of the properties but they are many undergoing across the country.
The contractor, the national highway, the government have committed a Corporate Men Slaughter not following the health and safety rules or the guide if the country has. It is becoming a prime responsibility of the Courts of the Law to take this matter seriously and do something about it and penalize those who are responsible for such a massacre.
The question is who will bell the rat- the rat that has been penetrating in the lives of people and responsible for killing them. The sad point of this story is that no social society or the NGO stood up for this cause who normally show up in the western interests but overlook the “national interests”.

By Mukhtiar A Bhutto