ABBOTABAD: Irked by the delay in reconstruction of infrastructure following the 2005 earthquake, villagers from Bakot circle, Abbottabad protested on Tuesday and threatened to block Muzaffarabad-Islamabad Road if their demands are not met within two weeks.
Led by Sardar Manzoor Mumtaz Abbasi, the vice president of PPP Abbottabad chapter, residents of various villages of Bakot circle marched from Fawara Chowk to the Abbottabad Press Club holding banners.
Condemning the delay in reconstruction of hospitals, schools and roads by the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA), the demonstrators chanted slogans against the government and the authority.
Addressing the protesters, Abassi said nine years have passed since the devastating earthquake destroyed not only houses but basic infrastructure as well, but ERRA has failed to rebuild the structures.
According to Abassi, Nathiagali-Bakot Road, Bariyan Trich Road, Nakhaitar Road, Bakot-Sangrairi Road, Bakot-Kohala Road, Mooliya Nambal and Majoohan Road are the main arteries that link several villages and thousands of people but have not been repaired as yet.
“Due to the delay in reconstruction of these roads, locals have been exposed to immense travel problems,” said Sardar Tahir Abbasi, another protest leader.
Similarly, students are forced to study in makeshift open air classrooms or buildings borrowed by the education department, while health issues were increasing daily in the absence of proper health facilities and hospitals, he added.
The protesters accused the district’s political leadership and ERRA’s management of fooling earthquake-affected villagers by making hollow promises. They warned of blocking the Muzaffarabad-Islamabad Road for an indefinite period if reconstruction on damaged infrastructure does not begin within two weeks.
Later, the demonstrators marched to the office of the deputy commissioner (DC) and held a sit-in for a few hours. However, DC Khalid Mehmood assured them of visiting their area shortly and addressing their problems, after which the agitated villagers dispersed.
Bakot circle is the native area of incumbent Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan who was elected as MPA from the area in 1985.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 12th, 2014.
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Just who was in charge of the country in that time period?