PESHAWAR, April 1: Dispute between the City Development and Municipal Department (CDMD) and the Cantonment Board over the ownership of Khyber road is posing risk to the motorists on the busy six-lane main artery of the city due to disconnection of electricity supply to traffic signals and streetlights for the last one week.

Due to the disconnection of power supply the recently installed streetlights and most of the traffic signals were standing useless and increasing the risk of accidents manifold on the busy Khyber road, which snakes through the cantonment area and connects the Grand Trunk road with the Jamrud road, leading to Torkham on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Furthermore, the absence of traffic police in the evening has added insult to injury giving free hand to motorists to violate traffic rules.

The city district government spent millions of rupees on the construction and renovation of the road and installed imported streetlights and traffic signals to ensure smooth traffic flow even during the night hours, but for the last one week it remained dark as the power supply had been disconnected to the streetlights.

Taking advantage of the darkness on the busy road, the traffic sergeants remained off the duty shortly after sunset, which resulted in violation of traffic rules.

The busy road plunged into darkness after the CDMD and the Cantonment Board authorities developed differences over the clearance of liabilities.

Officials said that the Peshawar Electricity Supply Company had disconnected power supply to the streetlights and traffic signals due to non-payment of Rs700,000 power arrears, outstanding against the city district government.

They said that the Cantonment Board authorities had sent a letter to the concerned department, asking to take over the road. The CDMD officials said that the department was ready to take over Khyber road if the Cantonment Board authorities or the city district government cleared all liabilities including electricity dues.