ATTOCK, April 15: The rapid erosion of land surrounding the main Attock-Sanjwal Highway is posing a serious threat to the motorists, as a portion of the road collapsed here on Monday.

The local citizens blamed the careless sand mining in the area as the root cause, adding that the mining safety rules banned excavation within 100m of a highway to ensure road strength.

The miners failed to respect the rules and weakened the road, while authorities in the Punjab Mineral department remained silent spectators due to the influence of these miners, they added.

Erosion of the road started a year ago, and the locals had brought the matter to the authorities concerned, but to no avail.

Consequently, 20pc of the road portion collapsed today, damaging electricity poles on the roadside, while the 500m stretch of the road near Joggian Village is on the verge of collapse.

The road connects Attock, Pakistan Ordnance Factory (POF) Sanjwal and the Artillery Regimental training centre with the main G.T. Road.

It is frequently used for the transportation of arms and ammunition between POF, Wah and POF, Sanjwal, and for movement of troops of the artillery centre.

The highway department placed caution boards to warn motorists of the danger, but no further action was taken.

Upon contact, the assistant director of the Punjab Mineral Development Corporation, Attock, Ejaz Hidayat, said land erosion was a natural process, and although mining work around the road had been stopped, erosion continued.

Mr. Ejaz said he was not aware of what had happened in the past, but, since his appointment last year, he had intimated the departments concerned and had sent a detail report to the Provincial Highway Department.

A protection wall had been constructed around the affected road portion, which had also collapsed soon after it construction, he said.

Mr. Ejaz admitted that the road posed a threat to the motorists, but said the department could not rehabilitate it.

“It comes under the administrative control of Sanjwal Cantonment Board (SCB), which receives the toll tax collected at the road,” he added.

Office Superintendent SCB Noor Zaman, upon contact, said the RCB did not have sufficient funds to repair the road, as very little was collected via toll tax.

The POF administration had asked the National Highway Authority (NHA) for the repair of the damaged portion 20 days ago, he said, adding that a few months back, the NHA had repaired a portion of the road which had again collapsed.