BRB Canal in a state of disrepair

Published September 29, 2005

SIALKOT, Sept 28: The recent accident along the BRB Canal in Daska has, besides claiming several lives, exposed apathy of the successive governments towards improving the lot of the canal.

The banks of the canal are in a rundown condition and require immediate repairs on various spots, as these have not been repaired even once since its construction before the partition.

These dilapidated banks-cum-roads are too narrow and driving there is not without risk. The successive governments have not allocated even a penny for the repairs of the banks. It takes at least an hour to cover a distance of about four kilometres (from Main Canal Bridge to Raja Ghuman village).

To make the situation worse, there is no fencing on both sides of the canal.

The irrigation department, too, has failed to improve the situation.

It is learnt that almost all public transport vehicles plying on the Daska-Pasrur route are misfit and have never been examined by the authorities concerned. Overloading continues here thanks to the apathy of the traffic police.

Meanwhile, the district police on Wednesday registered several cases against the drivers and conductors for violations and reckless driving.

The general public has urged the governments to allocate special funds for the early repairs of these banks, besides erecting fences to avert any further tragedy.

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