MURREE: Despite promises and agitation by locals, work on the much-awaited Lower Topa-Kohala Road, which caters to the requirements of some 20,000 residents from Murree Town as well as travel between Azad Kashmir and Pakistan, has not begun.

The 43 kilometre road was started under the PML-N, when Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was prime minister, and Rs2.11 billion was allocated for its construction.

Work halted after funding for the project lapsed when the contractor could not begin on time. The road was a part of the opposition’s campaign against Mr Abbasi during the 2018 elections, and is considered one of the main reasons for his loss.

But after seven months, and a series of protests by locals and traders, the PTI government has not started constructing the road.

During a ceremony to open a forest rest-house to the public in Bhurban, Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar visited the road and assured that work would begin soon. MNA Sadaqat Ali Abbasi and MPA retired Maj Latasab Abbasi have made similar promises to the public a number of times.

Three months ago, the local PTI leadership told the press that funding has been transferred.

The road was dug up ahead of the new construction, which is now causing problems for schoolchildren, traders and other residents from Abbasiyaan, Dewal, Phagwarri, Potha Aliot, Dhaka, Hadote, Sehr Bagla, Beergran, Ghoi, Kaseri, Keri and other villages. One concern is illnesses caused by dust, and business has also been affected.

When contacted, MNA Sadaqat Ali Abbasi said a revised additional sum has been approved and funding has been transferred following a detailed survey, according to the demands of the locals. He said work on the road will begin within two weeks.

He said funding for the road has been increased from Rs2.11bn to Rs2.5bn, and the road itself has been widened from 24 feet to 28ft.

He said Mr Sarwar along with other members of PTI’s central leadership will inaugurate work on the road in the first week of March. He attributed the delay to revisions to the structure of the road, which he said was widened according to the demands of locals.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2019