KARACHI: The annual gathering of Tablighi Jamaat is starting from February 4 in Karachi with strictly-enforced safety precautions due to the spread of the coronavirus.
All preparations have been made but the Main Manghophir Road lies in a dilapidated condition with sewage water and potholes at various places which can cause immense inconvenience to the thousands of visitors who attend the gathering of the religious group.
There are less than two days remaining but the Manghopir road lies in a dismal condition. The rugged road also causes dust which creates even more hardship to commuters. The authorities have not started any work to resolve this problem.
The annual gathering of Tablighi Jamaat is being held under coronavirus SOPs. An estimated 100,000 people are estimated to participate in the six-day gathering in two phases.
The first phase will be held from Feb 4 to the morning of Feb 6 with 50,000 participants. The second part will start on the evening of Feb 6 and will continue till Feb 8. The gathering will be attended by 12,000 participants of several mosques.
On normal days, commuters take around 1-1.5 hours to pass through the road. The situation could worsen when a large number of people leave together and could take up to seven hours.
This road is under the control of Karachi Metropolitan Municipality but so far no work has been done to repair the road. The local residents also face immense inconvenience which can worsen during the religious gathering.
