HARIPUR: The Sirikot Bypass Road is in dilapidated condition to the misery of its users.

The motorists and commuters complained that their repeated requests to the relevant authorities for the road’s reconstruction and repair fell on deaf ears.

The eight kilometers long Sirikot Bypass Road was built in 90s for reducing the risky and long journey for the people traveling to Sirikot, Ghazi tehsil headquarters and Swabi.

However, the poor maintenance has made the road’s use risky from Riaz Chowk Gadwalian to Sirikot village.

The road has deep potholes, while the rains have washed away its around 80 percent portion and destroyed embankments.

As the road swirls through hundreds feet high hills, the broken embankments and knee-deep ditches make the motorists’ journey dangerous.

“I avoid using the Sirikot Bypass as it is risk prone. In case of accident, casualties here will be very high,” said Wapda employee Naveed Khan, who travels between Haripur and Ghazi daily. He said there existed no quick response system on part of the rescue workers, health and police to meet emergencies.

The road user said reaching the stranded passengers and motorists took time due to poor mobile phone service and bad road condition.

“I used this road once and the 25-30 minutes journey was the worst of my life during which kept reciting Quranic verses for own safety,” said Rozina Bibi of Haripur, who works as a teacher at a Ghazi government school.

She said putting vehicles on the road was tantamount to risking life.

The teacher said nomads and cattle owners used the road to go to Haripur and Ghazi.

When contacted, sub-divisional officer of the Provincial Highway Authority, Haripur, Najib Khan said the road was owned by the communication and works department before it was handed over to his department last year.

He said a feasibility plan had been made for the road’s reconstruction and blacktopping.

“As a temporary solution before the complete blacktopping of this road, we’ve got Rs35 million funds approved under the ‘annual repair and maintenance’ head for fiscal year 2018-19,” he said.

The official said the PHA would repair broken embankments and potholes on the key road for its users’ safety.

He said he expected the release of funds for the project in few months.

Published in Dawn, November 17th, 2018