Officials urged to complete work on Ayub Bridge

Bridge damaged nine months ago owing to heavy downpour, flooding

ABBOTABAD:

Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) General Secretary for KP and Member National Assembly Murtaza Javed Abbasi Saturday directed National Highways Authority (NHA) to complete the repair work of the damaged Ayub Bridge Havelian within one month.

Abbasi said that nine months ago Ayub Bridge Havelian was damaged but NHA failed to restore it, he also ordered to complete the repair work within one month, if NHA will not start the restoration work timely then we will take action against the officials.

Ayub Bridge Havelian was damaged nine months ago owing to the heavy downpour and flooding in River Door and later the NHA stopped commuters from the use of the bridge and diverted the traffic to Langra village bridge which has no capacity to handle heavy traffic.

 People of Havelian particularly village Langra have protested many times against the delayed work on Ayub Bridge but the then PTI government did not pay any attention to resolving the issue of millions of people in the region by reconstructing the bridge.

Meanwhile, Abbottabad Deputy Commissioner Tariq Salam Marwat inspected Water and Sanitation Services Company Abbottabad (WSSCA), and assured that all possible support from the district administration will be given to address the challenges faced by the organisation.

On the arrival of DC Abbottabad, Chairman Water and Sanitation Services Company Abbottabad (WSSCA) Sarfraz Khan Jadoon and Chief Executive Officer Engineer Zeeshan Pervez gave a detailed briefing on the performance of the organisation, efficiency, future planning, issues, and challenges faced.

DC Marwat said that the district administration was working with the provincial government to include 23 more village councils in the jurisdiction of WSSCA Abbottabad. “Soon the scope of WSSCA Abbottabad would be expanded so that more and more people could start getting the best municipal services at their doorstep,” he said.

He said that the timely completion of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cities Improvement Project (KPCIP), which started with the financial assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), would change the fate of Abbottabad in the future. “The problem of water scarcity and garbage collection would be solved permanently for at least 20 years, so WSSCA Abbottabad should closely monitor the project”, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 17^th, 2022.