SIALKOT - The management of Sialkot International Airport has said that the overloading on the dumper vehicles and their unusual transportation was badly damaging the roads leading to the airport. Due to which , it has become very hard for the people of Sialkot region to have easy access to the airport. The Sialkot airport directors said that it was witnessed that hundreds of these dumper vehicles (over loaded with sand and soil) pass through these roads for supplying the sand and soil to the sites of the project of Sialkot-Lahore Motorway in various parts of Sialkot district.
Every dumper vehicles carries more than 50 tonnes of sand or soil in it by overloading. This weight was stated to be overload , due to which these roads have no capacity to bear such heavy weight of these dumper vehicles. These vehicles transport sand or soil through Marala Barrage from the far-off villages of Gujrat district, due to which the main Sialkot-Marala Road was badly damaged with deep ditches. Now, the Sialkot Dry Port-Sialkot Airport Road has also become badly damaged as well. This was the only main road which connects Sialkot, Daska, Wazirabad, Gujranwala , Gujrat, Sambrial and other areas to Sialkot international airport as well. The Sialkot exporters said that the Sialkot traffic police also remained reluctant to check this larger scale transportation of the dumpers of these roads allegedly.
While, dumper vehicles’ drivers alleged that substandard material was used in the construction of these roads, due to which these roads were damaged, as these roads had no capacity to bear the weight/load of these heavy weight dumper vehicles. Sialkot exporters have urged the Punjab government to direct the Sialkot district administration to ensure the early diversion of these heavy weight dumper vehicles to the other alternative roads in a bid to save the roads leading to Sialkot airport from further dilapidation , besides, ensuring the early repairing or reconstruction of these badly damaged roads, which have also become shabby and boggy as well with their miserable condition. Local people had also staged a strong protest demonstration against this prevailing dilapidation of these roads by these dumper vehicles.