SUKKUR, Feb 10: Due to inordinate delay in the completion of a mega drainage project, most of the city roads are lying dug up creating immense difficulties for the masses.

The project was launched three years ago at a cost of Rs470 million and was to be completed in a year but despite a lapse of three years nothing considerable has been done. As a result all the main roads -- including Airport, Society, Military, New Goth, Racecourse, Station, Workshop and Minara roads -- remain dug up.

The situation has resulted into massive traffic jams and accumulation of sewage on main roads and streets.

Talking to this correspondent, local leaders of different political parties have criticised poor performance of the district and the taluka administrations and said that accumulation of sewage and heaps of garbage strewn everywhere was enough to prove their incapability.

Shahzado Bhutto of the SNF said that the local government system had added to corruption and nepotism, while due to their indifferent attitude people’s problems were not being resolved.

Maulana Abdul Haq Mahar of the JUI-F demanded of the government to scrap the local government system and revive commissioner system.

When contacted, City Taluka Nazim Mohammad Naeem Siddiqui said that all the roads of city were in a shambles due to which sanitation was not possible because condition of roads did not allow sweeping.

He said that the taluka council had received funds of Rs500 million for uplift of the city’s infrastructure and repair and carpeting of military road and workshop road had been taken in hand, while repair and carpeting of Bunder road, Racecourse road, Minara road, Nishter road, Bhutta road, Queens road, Wallace road and others would be started after clearance from the public health engineering department.

Sukkur District Nazim Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that the mega drainage project was delayed due to some technicalities. He said that now pace of work had been increased and would be completed by the end of this year. Regarding the construction of roads he said that all the main roads of the city would be completed by June, 2009.