UPPER DIR: Residents of Sundrawal area of Upper Dir district have demanded reconstruction of a dilapidated suspension bridge.

They said thousands of residents of three villages, including Sundrawal, Nangray and Bandikass, used the bridge for communication. They said the bridge built some two and a half decades ago was in very bad shape and could collapse anytime.

The local residents said they had demanded of Inayatullah Khan, who was a senior minister during the previous government, to rebuild the bridge, but to no avail. They alleged that the former minister doled out funds to his blue-eyed people and ignored the critical issue of rebuilding the suspension bridge.

They said the bridge floor and its railings had broken at various spots, posing serious threat to people, particularly children.

The residents threatened to come onto the roads if the provincial government did not sanction funds for reconstruction of the bridge.

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2019