GUJAR KHAN: The Lillah-Jhelum dual-carriageway, a 128km “under-construction” road that links Jhelum district headquarters with its southern tehsil Pind Dadan Khan and the Lillah motorway interchange has been severely affected by recent rains.

The groundbreaking of the road was held during Imran Khan’s government in November 2021 and funds to the tune of Rs16 billion were allocated for the project which was supposed to be completed within two years.

The residents of the area, who were hoping for a metalled road, have been deprived of even the old road, which was dug up by the contractor for the construction of the dual-carriageway. The movement of public transport is impossible due to the unpaved road.

Area residents complained that they had been pushed back to “centuries-old conditions when there were no paved roads”.

They expressed concerns saying they could not travel for education or business due to the lack of a proper road.

A local, Qasim Rehan of Pindi Saidpur, claimed that several people had lost their lives on their way to hospitals because of the dilapidated state of this road, which had considerably increased their travel time.

He said despite paying hefty taxes, the people of this area did not even have a proper road, which he described as a basic right. Educationists in the area claimed that the poor state of this road adversely impacted attendance at schools, particularly during the rainy season.

Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, a former federal minister in the PTI government which funded the project in 2021, told Dawn that the federal government had deliberately delayed the funding for the project, fearing that the cost could escalate to Rs26 billion due to delays.

Official sources in the Jhelum Punjab Highway Department said they were still waiting for the federal government to release funds for this project.

Jhelum Deputy Commissioner Syeda Ramallah Ali, when contacted, did not respond.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2024