Failure to repair: Circle Bakote residents take to the streets

NA deputy speaker assures villagers damaged roads will be repaired in 15 days

ABBOTABAD: Residents of Circle Bakote, Abbottabad took to the streets on Thursday over delays to repair roads leading to Punjab that were damaged due to heavy rain. The protesters dispersed after National Assembly Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi assured the roads will be repaired within the next 15 days.

The routes were damaged following heavy rain in the locality. However, the district and provincial governments did not bother to have these roads repaired. As a result, residents are facing difficulties travelling to Rawalpindi.

The district government had repaired a jeep track between Bakote and Kohala over a week ago. But villagers prefer travelling on foot to Kohala Suspension Bridge and driving to Rawalpindi from there because the jeep track is dangerous.

Demonstration

On Thursday, residents from various villages protested and blocked Kashmir Highway for over four hours.

They lit a bonfire and shouted slogans against the provincial and federal governments. The demonstrators accused National Highway Authority (NHA), Communication and Works (C&W) department and Galiyat Development Authority (GDA) for their apathetic attitude towards the plight of villagers.

They also came down hard on the government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir for causing delays in opening of old Kohala Bridge even though 95% of repair work had been completed.

Negotiation phase

A large number of officials, including Abbottabad Revenue Assistant Commissioner Asad Mehmood Lodhi, tried to persuade protesters to stop their demonstration so the highway could be reopened. However, they refused to do so.

Later, the deputy speaker of the National Assembly reached the area, spoke to the protesters and convinced them to lift the blockade and disperse peacefully.

He assured villagers pending repair work on old Kohala Bridge will start soon while the rehabilitation of Bakote-Kohala Road and the five-kilometre strip between the old and new bridge will be completed in 15 days.

Meanwhile, Muzaffarabad DC Masoodur Rehman also visited the area on Friday and assured locals repair work on the old Kohala Bridge will start from Saturday (today). He said it will be completed within a short period of time so that the plight of the people can be resolved.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 26^th,  2016.