SWABI, Feb 22: The road network throughout Swabi district is in a dilapidated condition, creating numerous difficulties for the public, it was learnt on Saturday.

Sources here say that the bad condition of roads often results in accidents, but the government departments paid little attention to repair them. Big potholes appeared along the 18-kilometre-long Swabi-Topi Road as substandard material was alleged to have been used in its construction by a contractor who happened to be a relative of a former provincial minister.

Countless ditches also appeared along the Topi-Tarbela Road which widened with the passage of time and created difficulties for the public and transporters alike.

In Topi, the roads present the worst picture of government departments' attitude towards the repair and construction of roads in the locality. Most of the roads look like pools whenever it rained in these areas.

The 25-kilometre-long Swabi-Jehangira road also needed urgent repair. The Bamkhel-Murghaz road was also ignored by the authorities. Yar Hussain is a congested town of the district where the roads are in shambles, but the concerned department failed to repair it despite availability of funds.

The Tarraki-Shewa Adda road also speaks volumes of the apathy of the authorities towards improvement of roads to ensure public safety. The Doubian-Yar Hussain road was rendered unusable as wide ditches had appeared along it. The residents said that the road had been constructed during Gen Zia's rule, but later no attention was paid to its repair and maintenance.

The Shewa-Asota Road was in bad condition and it needed repair on emergency basis to rid the people of the transport problems. The Maini-Topi Road which was constructed about 20 years back also required due attention of the concerned department.