Risky route in dire need of renovation

Locals threaten protest if the road was not reconstructed

SWAT: Thousands of commuters have no choice but to travel on the bumpy road which connects three union councils of Matta Tehsil. The 25-kilometre road, running from Shukhsara to Fazal Banda, serves as a vital link for more than 60 villages in the region.

However, the route has caused more discomfort than convenience for the locals. “Many critical patients have died before they could reach the hospital,” said a local jirga member, Khurshaid Iqbal.

He added that no government has bothered to construct a new road since Swat merged with Pakistan. “Despite being aware of the problem, elected representatives in different eras, have not taken any tangible steps to address the problem,” said Shahbaz, a social activist of Labat.

“The area produces large quantity of high standard fruit. But farmers and orchard owners cannot reap due benefit due to the dilapidated condition of the roads,” Mohammad Qavi Khan, a local farmer told The Express Tribune. He explained that trucks and loaded vehicles do not usually frequent the area and if they do, they double the fare.

The locals have appealed the government to reconstruct the road otherwise they will be forced to stage rallies and protest on large scale. When contacted, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Science and Technology Ayub Khan Asharey said that Construction and Works department has already to started construction of road. “We have fined the previous contractor for using low standard material worth Rs20 million,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 10^th, 2012.