Foundation stones are the monuments laid down to show the history and descriptions of some constructions or developments. You may find historic foundation stones of so many great projects all over the world, which have become a history themselves apart from their project. The foundation stones often had a cavity into which some artifacts that were typical of the period of the construction, or some coins of the year were entombed. But in Pakistan these stones have not remain so simple and are laid and unveiled for so many other reasons.
In government sector whenever a project starts, some VIP is invited to lay the foundation stone. The purpose of the ceremony is to inform everyone that the project has not started by itself but by the day-night efforts of the VIP. Sometimes the ceremony is arranged to the extent that a reasonable part of the allocated funds of the project get utilized. An interesting example in this regard is the inauguration ceremony of “Bab-e-Pakistan” monument at Lahore in 1991 under the premiership of Mr Nawaz Sharif. Most of the efforts for the monument were utilized on the function (Jalsa-e-Aam), due to which construction of the monument couldn’t proceed any more, despite of the fact that premiership remained with Mr Nawaz Sharif for more than once. The Foundation stone of the “Bab-e-Pakistan” monument was unveiled again in 2006 by President General Parvaiz Musharaf.
There are many more projects for which more than one foundation stone were laid due to change in the political scenario of the country. The Foundation stone of Canal-Mall underpass and Canal-Ferozepur Road underpass were unveiled again due to delays and change in premiership of the country. The foundation stones unveiled by representatives of one government vanished away with the dissolution of the government and a complete new exercise took place with a new foundation stone on the same old place and same old project. Sometimes a certain change in the project was considered to be inevitable only for the sake of showing the project to be a new one, neglecting the huge price to be paid for the undesired changeover. Rapid changes in the prestigious Islamabad chair have caused repeated laying of many such foundation stones on invariable projects.
The foundation Stone is not only confined for the bigger projects only, but are even laid for as small works as the brickwork in the streets, or provision of some basic amenity at a limited level. You may find a lot of such examples showing big stones for minor works.
Sometimes another stone for the same project is unveiled to show the successful completion of the project. The purpose of it could be to inform or to make happy all those who are involved in the payment of the project. Many contractors consider the completion ceremony and final stone compulsory for the issuance of final payments to their firms. But the form of open bribe has neither criticized nor hindered by any influential administrator.
There is another type of foundation stones, that are engraved or carved with extreme craftsmanship but still remain deprived of the opportunity to be laid at the desired place. Some unavoidable circumstances impede them from being laid and unveiled. A number of such foundation stones may be viewed placed with their craftsman, ruining all the beauty of the stone and labor of the craftsman.
Foundation stones have another interesting story. Sometimes they are unveiled, functions are held, but the project for which all this exercise has gone through remains untouched in reality. It could be due to so many reasons; maybe it was unveiled before election and after election the development was not desired, maybe the funds of the project have been utilized at some other site, maybe the project was not feasible even in the start but the stone was intended to make people happy for the moments, maybe the project have completed in the papers and none of the management has bothered to view the reality or maybe have closed their eyes for some other reason.
At some occasions even the government representatives have criticized the wastage of funds this way, but all such words have also gone waste and the public funding are continually being ruined away in the name of opening and ground breaking ceremonies. Some parliamentarians and parliament have condemned that the ceremonies and the foundation stones should not be self projecting but effect of the sayings were not seen.
Mostly these stones are of no importance to the common public. You may find many of these stones placed upside down now, completely or partially broken. On some occasions people were found making fun of them by lighting candles and garlanding them like a shrine. Change of governments may cause removal of many such foundation stones showing the names of previous representatives.
By religious point of view these stones are just self projecting, which is strictly forbidden especially on the expense of the state/ public funding. By economic point of view these stones are a form of multifarious corruption and burden on our economy. They exert many folded consequences on the society and not only waste the much needed funding but also harm the quality of work accomplished and true workmanship of the personals involved. In our society a big portion of the development funds are wasted by passing underhand. So the foundation Stones and their ceremonies shrink the volume of the rightly consumed funds to the deteriorating position which is too harmful for our society in which too much is still to be done.
May Allah the Great bless us with righteous people and positive deeds.
Aameen.
azharmaroof@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment