GUJAR KHAN: The Rattial-Darkali road in the western part of Gujar Khan tehsil remains in a dilapidated condition for years, creating hardship for the commuters.

The 20-km-long road linking the villages of Jhungal and Jatli union councils with Mandra-Chakwal Road is broken and dilapidated.

People living in Jhunhal, Mamriala, Bhair Kalial, Mohrah Ameen, Darkali Khurd and Darkali Syedan and other localities have been facing hardship due to the apathy of their elected representatives to get the road repaired.

Seth Asad Aziz, a resident of the area, said the locals had been supporting political parties for decades with the hope that after elections they would provide funds for the reconstruction of the only road link to their villages. During the elections of 2013, a majority of the voters had supported PML-N candidates.

Mr Aziz regretted that during its five-year tenure the PML-N could not repair the road.Saqlain Ejaz, the chairman of the Jhungal union council, said he had supported the PML-N in the 2013 election with the hope that after coming to power it would fulfil the promise of repairing the road.

In the absence of the paved road link, shifting of patients to hospitals in Daultala and Gujar Khan has become a daunting task, he added.“Our patients die and women give birth to babies on this bumpy road,” lamented Mr Saqlain.
He said the suffering of schoolchildren was even more serious as they frequently suffered road accidents.

Siddiq-i-Akbar, a resident of Jhungal, said the failure of the government to ensure the basic facility of the citizens was tantamount to a criminal negligence.

The residents urged the chief justice of Pakistan and Prime Minister Imran Khan to order the reconstruction of the road to mitigate their sufferings.

Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2018