MINGORA, Nov 13: The military government has failed to initiate reconstruction work on roads in Malakand division, which have changed into ruins in almost all the districts here.

In the entire division, only a piece of road (from Landaki to Mingora) has been repaired, but rest of the road look like katcha tracks.

Reportedly, the roads in Malakand Agency, Dir lower and Dir upper had been repaired some three decades ago when the traffic flow was very thin. Now the roads are giving a look of a narrow strip of the bumpy track, which cannot bear the load of heavy vehicular traffic.

Potholes in the middle of roads and sharp turns have added to the miseries of motorists. At many places, due to the absence of ditches, the roads are flooded during rainy season hampering smooth flow of the traffic.

Rains have also damaged roads in Dir, but no repair work has so far been started.

The main Timergara-Dir upper road, which leads to Chitral, also needs rebuilding desperately. It is a very important road for the promotion of tourism in Dir and Chitral, but the deteriorating condition of the roads now discourage the foreign visitors to enjoy the scenic beauty of Sharingal, Kumrat, Barawal, Benshahi, Karodara, Usherai, Atandara and Panakot Lowari etc.

Swat was earlier called the Switzerland of the Asia not only because of its natural beauty, but also due to its roads. In the state’s era, the former ruler of Swat gave full attention on the construction of roads, which facilitated access to the areas.

But now the main tourists’ spots— Kalam, Behrain, Madyan, Malam Jabba, Miandam, Ushu and Gabral— cannot be visited without taking a risk of life as the roads giving access to them are in a shabby condition. With the construction of these roads the local economy can also be boosted manifold.

The government has initiated a Malakand Rural Development Project (MRDP), but it also lost the people’s confidence. The governor, NWFP, Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah has time and again asked the authorities concerned to start work on the roads in the division, but to no avail.

An official of the MRDP told Dawn that work on the roads would probably be started in January. But it is not sure as so many dates for the purpose had already been fixed.

If the roads were not constructed, it would be a discredit of the military government and the Rs4 billion Asian Development Bank’s MRDP project would prove no more than a financial burden on the poor.