CHITRAL: The local people have complained that the ruling PTI has not spent a single penny on repair and maintenance of the important Airport Road during the last six years.

They said that the dilapidated condition of Airport Road irked motorists and commuters.

The road has virtually been reduced to a large number of ditches and troughs with retaining walls along the river collapsed at most of the places which not only pose threat to the motorists but also pedestrians.

The road not only connects the city with the airport but it also links Garam Chashma and Karimabad valleys and the northern villages of Balach, Singur, Seen Lusht and Dolomus.

The enraged people vent their spleen through social media, which remains replete with posts containing sarcastic and pinching remarks against the government.

They also scold the elected representatives of Chitral.

Mohammad Rahim Baig Laal of Singoor, a user of the road on daily basis, said that Airport Road in Chitral brought as much bad name to the government as did Bus Rapid Transit project in Peshawar.

He said that the workers of PTI were equally active in sending flaks to the government.

Aminur Rahman, a local leader of PTI and candidate of the party for district council, took out protest procession and staged a sit-in to criticise the indifference of the government.

Zaffar Ali Shah of Balach village, in his 70s, said that it was the first blacktopped road in the district in early 1970s.

He said that during the last two decades, more than 50 persons died as a result of fatal traffic accidents on the road.

Recently, the Garam Chashma road has been federalised as a result of which it is a segment in a length of two kilometres while this new development of federalisation has placed it at the purview of National Highway Authority from the Communication and works department.

The executive engineer of C&W, Usman Khan, told Dawn that although the road was federalised yet the competent authority could approve its refurbishment work in a length of first two kilometres to his department, which was in the pipeline.

He said that the under the ‘Beautification of Chitral City’ plan of the government, the department had earmarked Rs130 million for renovation of the road.

Published in Dawn, November 6th, 2019