SHANGLA: Residents of Bar Banjar here have started reconstruction of suspension bridge on self-help basis. The bridge was blown away by strong winds about a month ago.

After a wait of four weeks for help from the Provincial Disaster Management Authority and district government, the local people of Bar Banjar have started work on self-help basis on the only suspension bridge to easily access the area.

They collected money by going from house to house and bought wooden planks, iron ropes, nails, etc, while the local people are paying wages to a carpenter for work on the pedestrian bridge.

Khaista Rehman , a resident of the area, said that his uncle had approached the district government several times with a request for reconstruction of the wooden bridge, but no steps were taken. He said that the bridge provided the only route for reaching three villages of Banjar and crossing Khan Khwar.

Taj Rehman, another resident, said that most of the area people worked in coal mines in various parts of the country and were very poor. He said the lack of interest by the government to rebuild the bridge had frustrated them.

“We will rebuild the whole bridge within a week as planks are being fixed on it,” The bridge is used by the people to visit hospitals and children to go to school in Banjar. The local people have demanded of the government to build a concrete bridge in the area so that vehicles could pass through it, which would make their life easy.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2019