OUR STAFF REPORTER

SIALKOT - Amidst various promises made and left unfulfilled for decades, Federal Minister for Law and Climate Change Zahid Hamid again said that the government has allocated a special grant for reconstruction of various roads.

He said that the government has allocated Rs3.25 billion for the reconstruction of Sialkot-Pasrur Road. He added that the government allocated Rs1.30 billion for the reconstruction and widening of shabby main Daska-Pasrur Road and Rs350 million for constructing Pasrur-Kalaaswala Road and Pasrur-Dhoda Road.

He stated this while talking to the workers at Pasrur. He added that the government has also released a grant of Rs60 million for providing gas facility for the people in four villages Ramkey, Punwana, Noul and Killeywali of Union Council Maalipur, Pasrur tehsil. He said that the construction work of the above-mentioned projects would be started very soon in the larger public interest as well.

Contrary to the prime minister’s promise he made seven months ago during a public meeting, the Sialkot-Pasrur Road and Daska-Pasrur Road are still in the state of dilapidation.

There is no implementation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s orders of early reconstruction of both the shabby roads. While addressing a public meeting at Sambrial near Sialkot on August 22, 2016, the prime minister had announced early reconstruction of both the dilapidated main roads. But, seven months have passed to this announcement made by the PM but no practical step has yet been witnessed on ground.

These main roads have now become crumbling having three to four feet deep ditches on almost everywhere from Sialkot to Pasrur and from Daska to Pasrur. These ditches often present a look of dirty water ponds due to rain and stagnant sewage and sewerage.

The main roads have also witnessed different political weathers as the local political elected representatives had been doing politics over the burning issue of repairing, reconstruction and dualization of these roads. Main Sialkot-Pasrur Road and Daska-Pasrur Road had been waiting for their reconstruction and widening for the last several decades under the shadow of the high political promises. As many as 35km Sialkot-Pasrur Road is the main road which connects both the neighbouring Sialkot and Narowal districts through Pasrur, Badiana, Sialkot, Zafarwal, Chawinda, Qila Ahmedabad and Alipur Syedan.

Early reconstruction of dilapidated main Daska-Pasrur Road is the demand of the day to give some relief to the perturbed people.

The Sialkot-Pasrur Road and the Daska-Pasrur Road, left dilapidated for tens of years, have become notorious for accidents as more than 150 people including women and children lost their lives in different accidents during 2015.

According to Rescue 1122, the travelling on the road has become very dangerous and risky. They added that more than 150 people including women and children have died in separate fatal road accidents on the road.

The 35 kilometre is the main road which connects Sialkot and Narowal districts through Pasrur, Badiana , Sialkot, Zafarwal, Chawinda, Qila Ahmedabad and Alipur Syedaan. The perturbed people have strongly protested against the situation. They staged a demonstration for early reconstruction of the most neglected road, for saving the precious lives.

They chanted slogans against the local elected representatives. They said that officialdom including Zahid Hamid, Pasrur based federal minister for climate change, MPAs Munawar Ali Gill, Liaqat Ali and Rana Afzal had made several announcements giving the “good news” of construction and widening of the road at several public meetings held in Pasrur region in the past years. But, nothing was there on the ground in this regard, the local people regretted.

When contacted, a spokesperson of Zahid Hamid, said that the situation was repeatedly brought into the notice of federal and provincial governments, saying that Zahid Hamid has been making efforts for getting the road project approved. The protesters urged the both federal and provincial governments to re-affix their priorities and ensure the reconstruction of the main road.

Affected people said that hundreds of thousands of people frequently travel through the dilapidated and shabby road while hundreds of farmers also bring their agricultural produce in the local Mandies at Daska and Pasrur.