SWABI: Numerous roads in the Swabi district are in dilapidated condition and need immediate rehabilitation by the communications and works department to avoid fatal accidents and make people’s journey safe.

Officials in the works department told Dawn here on Monday that abundant rainfall from December to April had damaged various link roads, developing deep ditches in them, but no immediate steps were taken to repair them.

The 10-kilometre Pirtab-Gohati road is in bad condition, and due to heavy traffic and negligence of the works department journey on it has become a nuisance.

Akhtar Khan, a resident of Pirtab village, said due to worst condition of the road his nephew was seriously injured when he was hit by a tractor-trolley a week ago.

Similarly, the five kilometres Maneri-Saleem Khan Road is also in dilapidated condition as a small portion was constructed three years ago, but the remaining stretch was left incomplete. The rains have turned the road into a dirt track.

The eight kilometres Gohati-Sikandari Road, which links various villages to main Swabi-Mardan Road, is also potholed for want of repair.

The four kilometres Beka road is also in very bad shape, the locals complaint, saying substandard material was used when it was built 15 years ago.

Same is the condition of eight kilometres Anbar-Hund Road which leads to archaeological site of Hund.

“This road needs urgent repair as it also used by foreigners visiting the archaeological site,” said Gul Bacha of Hund village.

The 10 kilometres Tarakai-Sher Khan Banda Road and six-kilometre Dagai Road are also in bad shape.

The former is a short cut to the district headquarters from Tarakai, the native village of provincial minister for local government Shahram Khan Tarakai.

The dilapidated condition of Gohati-Bakar Road is because heavy trucks use it for transporting precious stones from Sheikh Jana mountains. Jehanzeb Khan of Bakar village said that the motorcyclists were no longer in position to use the road as big ditches had been developed in it.

The locals accused the local government representatives and PTI leaders of failing to take steps for reconstruction of roads.

When contacted, officials in the communications and works department said it was responsibility of the lawmakers to sanction funds for reconstruction or repair of the roads.

Published in Dawn, June 18th, 2019