The temperature has crossed 52°C in many districts of Sindh. Trees are being cut everywhere— in forests, along roadsides, in jungles, and in desert areas. No new trees are being planted, and agricultural and green lands are being cleared for ever-expanding housing schemes. Towns, cities, and villages in Sindh are facing severe drinking water shortages, and ice factories are charging exorbitant prices. Sindh is literally burning while our elected representatives and officials are ensconced in cozy, air-conditioned rooms. The disparity between the wealthy and the poor is stark; the wealthy enjoy heaven while the poor suffer in hell.

Although elected representatives have been chosen by the public, they neglect their responsibilities, leaving common people with no time or energy to protest as they struggle for survival. They lack the means to reach their elected representatives and bureaucracy. In Johi town, the water supply scheme has been nearly dysfunctional for several months, and the majority of the 400 employees of the municipal committee Johi don’t perform their duties and are engaged in other errands. It’s not only the responsibility of the municipal committee chairman but also of the whole party and government machinery to come to the rescue of the people in Johi and other parts of Sindh. Our elected representatives visit every nook and cranny of their constituencies during elections but remain confined to their cozy palaces surrounded by vested interests and sycophants afterward.

It is strange to see scores of people offering garlands to our elected MNA from Dadu, continuing this practice four months after his success in the February 8 election. The majority of the congratulators are contractors, officials, hoarders, profiteers, usurers, runners of gambling and drug dens, and feudal lords who come with garlands in the hope of getting protection and a share of the government pie. Why don’t our MNA and MPAs visit their constituencies even once a month to see the dire conditions of their voters and take remedial actions?

GULSHER PANHWER,

Johi.