BAJAUR: The local police on Sunday recovered and defused an improvised explosive device in Mamond tehsil of Bajaur tribal district.

According to a statement issued from the office of the district police officer, the IED, which was placed in a field in Eraab area, was recovered by personnel of the bomb disposal squad.

The statement said that the bomb, which was placed by unknown miscreants for sabotage purpose, was later defused peacefully.

delay in bridge repair: The district administration and the Highway Department came under fire from local residents and political figures for failing to begin repairs on a damaged bridge on the key Bajaur-Mardan highway, even though the authorities had stated on October 21 that the repairs would be finished in two weeks.

Due to numerous damaged portions from previous floods, the appropriate department decided two weeks ago to block the aforementioned bridge in the Jar area to all types of traffic, which caused major inconvenience for commuters and shippers, local residents told Dawn.

They blasted the relevant authorities for not even starting the repairs on the bridge that connected the entire district to the rest of the province via the Lower Dir district’s Munda area.

The commuters and transporters told this correspondent that the closure of main Bajaur-Mardan highway’s bridge had a negative impact on them because the alternate route was in poor condition.

According to Farhad Khan, a resident of Mula Kallay area, the unnecessary delay in bridge repair work had greatly alarmed the people of the entire region.

He added that the absence of security measures made the Hayati by-pass route exceedingly dangerous.

PMLN provincial vice president Shahabuddin Khan expressed his profound concern about the delay in repair of bridge and called for the repair work to commence without further delay.

A Highway Department’s official verified that work on the damaged bridge had not yet begun, even though it was agreed that the repairs would be finished in two weeks.

According to him, the bridge’s repair work, which included rebuilding damaged piles, girders, and other components, was expected to begin on coming Tuesday.

Published in Dawn, November 4th, 2024