CHAKWAL, Nov 27: As the road network in Punjab remote areas is in a shambles, the Neelah Road is no exception.
Situated some 4km west of Chakwal City, the main artery, which connects several villages with Chakwal city, has been lying in tatters for the last many years.
The Neelah Road also leads to Neelah Village located at the western border of Chakwal District.
Currently more than two hundred public service vehicles ply on this road apart from thousands other residents’ personal vehicles.
As the road is single carriageway, the drivers of both vehicles who come face to face have to skid their vehicles off the road to cross each other.
Each time, the candidates for PP 22 and NA 61 promises during their election campaign that they would turn this road into a two carriageway.
“We vote for those who promise to make the Neelah Road into two carriageway but we still live on hollow promises”, said Ghulam Abbas, a public transport driver.
The commuters felt a sigh of relief when some tractors and bulldozers started work on this road near Odherwal Village.
The residents thought that the road was being turned into a dual carriageway and their long-standing demand was being met but that did not happen at all. Only Rs2 million were sanctioned to make a small patch of 1.7-km into a dual-carriage-way starting from Odherwal Village and ending up at 1.7km away from the village.However, the traditional lethargy and red-tape in the public departments thwarted the work as funds were lapsed because of delay in the project.
There were two small bridges on this patch of 1.7-km which were razed, as a result manholes beneath them exposed posing serious threat to the travellers. “We have sent a summary seeking funds for finishing the work and the summary would be approved soon but the work could be started after winter”, says Deputy District Officer Roads.
Talking to Dawn, MPA Sardar Zulifqar Ali Khan Dullah claimed that he was trying his best to get funds to turn Neelah Road into a two carriageway. “I hope that the funds would be approved soon,” he said.
