TIMERGARA: Recent rains have brought heaps of dirt and boulders onto the newly-reconstructed Chakdara-Timergara road as the authorities have failed to build side drains, making it extremely difficult for the vehicular traffic, particularly loaded trucks, to move on the road.

Talking to Dawn on Friday, local traders complained that despite repeated requests to the relevant authorities the debris and mud were not removed from the road during last six days.

The 42-kilometer road was reconstructed by the National Highway Authority over a month ago at a cost of Rs350 million, but the residents said the rainwater flowed on the road from Sabzi Mandi to Jail Chowk as the road lacked side drains. During torrential rains stones and mud from the nearby hills accumulated on the road, the traders complained.

Anjuman-i-Tajaran Timergara president Haji Anwaruddin told Dawn that transporters faced difficulty in moving loaded vehicles on the road. He said due to choked culverts the rainwater also entered shops and damaged commodities. He demanded of the Lower Dir administration and NHA authorities to take notice of the matter.

When contacted, Assistant Commissioner, Timergara, Mohammad Ayaz Mohmand told Dawn that he had directed the NHA officials to clear the road of debris. He said the administration was facing problems in clearing the choked culverts as local landowners had constructed high buildings right in front of them.

Timergara Tehsil Nazim Riaz Mohammad said some of the culverts and the old drains had been cleared of debris by the tehsil municipal administration, adding teams had been formed to carry out cleanliness drive after the recent rains.

NEW MAIDAN FEEDER: MNA from Lower Dir Sahibzada Yaqub Khan on Friday said the government had approved Rs40 million for building a new feeder for Maidan area in order to solve the problem of low voltage and frequent power outages.

Talking to journalists, he said construction of another feeder had been a longstanding demand of the Maidan residents which had been materialised. He said work on the project would start soon.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2016