SARGODHA: Tractor-trolleys overloaded with sugarcane are causing a great deal of inconvenience to motorists on almost all roads in the district.

The worst-hit are Lahore and Khushab-Sargodha roads. Apart from blocking of traffic for hours, these tractor-trolleys sometimes also result in road mishaps.

The dense fog and trolleys without reflectors have already claimed the lives of 10 people and injuries to over a dozen others during the last three days.

A major portion of Sargodha-Lahore Road is badly cracked and filled with craters. Besides, the road is not supported by solid soil on both sides.Consequently, only one tractor-trolley consumes the whole road, leaving no or little space for other vehicles to pass or cross, resulting in accidents and traffic jams.

A trolley with a loading capacity of 2,000 kilo is mostly loaded with more than 4,000 to 5,000 kilo sugarcane. This also causes the worst traffic jams and mishaps at night on the entire Lahore-Sargodha Road.

The season of sugarcane transportation continues for about six months, starting from November to April while overloading of vehicles goes unnoticed by the authorities concerned.

A separate road should either be constructed for the transportation of sugarcane with sugar cess funds or overloading of trolleys be checked strictly to avoid accidents and traffic chaos during the crushing season.

As a short-term solution, the accidents can also be contained by repairing the road and putting fresh supporting soil on both sides of the road.

Sugarcane growers are seen complaining against mills owners for short measures, unnecessary cut of crop while weighing and delay in payment of prices.

Grower Muhammad Hayat alleges some mill owners have not yet paid the dues of the last season to growers while the middlemen are also causing loss to them.

He claims the district administration is paying deaf ears to demands and problems of growers and focusing only on photo sessions and press statements.