Uphill task: Punjab CM - you have a promise to keep

MURREE:

Shahbaz Sharif’s promises have a unique ring to them. These come with a certain deadline. At least this is true in case of load shedding, if nothing else.

He has made one promise to the people of Murree, albeit without a deadline and betting on his name. Not only a promise this time, but a formal sanction of Rs50 million for repair of Murree-Kohala Road if one were to believe the provincial highway department.

He yet has to fulfil that promise.

Punjab Highway Department (PHD) XEN Javed Mirza claimed that the Chief Minister (CM) had sanctioned Rs50 million for the repair of the road but funds were not released yet.

He said that renovation of the road will start soon after the funds are released.



The Murree- Kohala Road connecting Punjab province with Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) caters to heavy traffic of tourists, locals and people commuting between the Punjab and AJK.

After the snowfall in December, a large number of tourists visited Murree, but due to the bad road, many remained stranded for hours on end, causing inconvenience for both commuters and locals, according to the residents. Just a few kilometres away from the residence of the prime minister (PM), the road is filled with potholes, especially from Lower Topa to Kohala.

Locals claimed that Sharifs visit their house almost every weekend particularly in the summer season but they seem not to notice the road and its worsening condition.

“The road badly needs repairs but the provincial government is not fulfilling its role,” said Afzal Abbasi a resident of Lower Topa.

The residents of villages Sehr Bagla, Aliot, Phagwari and Lower Dewal have complained that they faced problems especially during snowfall when tourists added to the traffic load.  “Even the two ministers who belong to Murree are not paying any attention [to the issue],” said Muhammad Adeel, another resident.

Petroleum and Natural Resources Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Punjab Minister for Labour and Human Resource Raja Ashfaq Sarwar were elected are the local MNA and MPA respectively.

The highway department is supposed to take care of the roads of the hill station but due to their apathy many roads are not repaired in years, said a local voicing concern of many.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th, 2014.