MURREE: The locals of Jika Gali plan a protest today (Saturday) in order to make the Punjab government resume construction work on Lower Topa-Kohala Road which has been lying dug up for the last over six months.

Over 15,000 commuters including locals of Sehr Bagla, Aliot, Phagwarri, Dewal, Abbasiyan and many other villages of Murree and Azad Jammu and Kashmir daily use the road.

The road has never been re-carpeted since its construction in 1988, and had been in ruins.

Frequent protests, however, forced the previous government of Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to allocate Rs2 billion in the budget. It also released Rs150 million for the construction of the road and even begun work on the project earlier this year.

The contractor had to stop the work for want of funds and the road had been lying dug up since July, taxing the patience of the commuters.

Residents of Sehr Bagla, Lower Topa, Aliot, Phagwarri, Dewal and other places held a number of meetings to formulate a strategy to force government to restart work on the road.

While talking to this correspondent the 2018 National Assembly candidate Sufiyan Abbasi and other leading social workers said they held a number of meetings with the authorities concerned and they had assured to restart the work but after more than one and half months no work had been started.

They said the dug up road was causing problems for the locals, school-going children, patients and other commuters.

Besides, they said, the traders doing businesses in various bazaars along the road also suffered badly.

They said locals were contracting various diseases due to dust.

They said now they had been left with no option but to launch a protest, which would be participated by the people living on both sides of this road from Lower Topa to Kohala.

Talking to this correspondent MPA retired Major Latasab Satti said that PTI government had allocated Rs500 million for the road and soon work on the project would be started.

He said that he knew the importance of the road and the sufferings of the people and traders of the areas from where the road passed through.

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2018