Visiting a chrysanthemum show at Jilani Park recently was a revelation as the place was teeming with families, most of them accompanied by young children. The rate at which the population is multiplying in Lahore is rather baffling.
Do we have the resources to feed all these children? People from smaller cities are moving to bigger cities, like Lahore, to secure a living. Lahore, as a result, is bursting at the seams.
This population explosion is a volcano on the verge of eruption. The non-existent resources and the rapidly depleting reserves can no longer sustain and support this massive surge in population, but the government, instead of taking concrete measures to curb this phenomenal increase, appears to be sitting on the sidelines, waiting for this time-bomb to explode.
The measures and steps being implemented by the private sector are only a drop in the ocean, and have no chance of controlling this population tsunami.
The poor will continue to be the slaves for the rich, while those who can, will flee to greener pastures. How green they are is anybody’s guess, and as immigration laws all over the world are tightened to make it harder for the indigenous population to emigrate, very soon the options will dry up if they have not already.
The affluent will flee using the lifeboats and escape routes available, while the majority will go down. Simply put, it will be a case of the survival of the fittest.
GAITEE ARA SIDDIQI
LAHORE
