SIALKOT-A 25.6km long main road between Sialkot and Pasrur has been in shabby condition and waiting for a "go ahead" from the authorities concerned for its repair, widening and dualisation.
It has been learnt that the road could not be rehabilitated despite the issuance of orders from then two prime ministers and even by the present chief minister of Punjab.
This "ill-fated" dilapidated main Sialkot-Pasrur Road has been waiting for its rehabilitation for the last several years, but none of the authorities concerned has paid attention to it.
According to locals, hundreds of the people have been killed so far in fatal road accidents occurred on this crumbling road, having a lot of ditches on it, over the past several years.
While addressing a big public meeting at Sambrial near Sialkot on August 22, 2016 (two-and-a-half years ago), the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had announced the early rehabilitation of dilapidated Sialkot-Pasrur Road.
On May 05,2018, while addressing a big public meeting at Pasrur Cadet College, the then Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had also laid the foundation stone of Sialkot-Pasrur Road there. He had also announced the early release of Rs3.45 billion special development funds for this mega project as well.
The then federal interior minister Ch Ahsan Iqbal had expanded this road project from Sialkot-Pasrur to Narowal besides inaugurating this mega project's construction near Narowal. Unfortunately, no practical step has yet been witnessed on ground.
On November 05, 2018, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, while addressing the participants of inaugural ceremony of newly established Head Marala Hydro Power Project near Head Marala-Sialkot here, had also announced the early reconstruction, carpeting and dualisation of dilapidated Sialkot-Pasrur Road. But, no practical step has been witnessed so far.
"After the change of governments in Centre and even in Punjab, the project has allegedly been victimised and politicised by the PTI government, which halted all the development and construction works of this project as well," said Pasrur based PML-N MNA Ali Zahid (son of former federal law minister Zahid Hamid Khan) while addressing party workers in Pasrur.
Local people, on the other hand, said that travel on main crumbling Sialkot-Pasrur Road has become very risky, and this road has always been neglected by all political regimes.
Sialkot-Pasrur Road has now become crumbling; there are three to four feet deep ditches on almost everywhere on this road. Rain water often accumulates in these ditches, and they present a look of water ponds. Politicians, instead of ensuring repair to the road, do politics on the issue. The road connects Sialkot and Narowal districts through Pasrur, Badiana, Sialkot, Zafarwal, Chawinda, Qila Ahmedabad and Alipur Syedan.
In Pasrur, locals have strongly protested against the authorities' negligence. They staged a protest demonstration for early rehabilitation of the road, for the safety of the lives of local population. They chanted slogans against elected representatives for their indifference to the issue. They said besides accidents, dozens of dacoity and robbery incidents also occurred on the road.
They demanded that Prime Minister Imran Khan and Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar take notice of it and ensure early rehabilitation of the road in larger interest of local population.