Gulberg road in a shambles soon after repair, rehab

PESHAWAR: The residents in Gulberg here on Sunday asked the government to order an inquiry into the use of substandard material in the construction of a road and punish those responsible for the wastage of public money.

Talking to The News, they said the main Gulberg Road in Peshawar that was repaired at a cost of millions of rupees a few months ago had developed ditches and potholes.The residents said the repair and improvement of the road from the Railways crossing to Izzat Khan Chowk was sanctioned from the funds of the relevant Member Provincial Assembly (MPA), but the contractor didn’t carry out the work in accordance with the plan.

They said the officials who were supposed to check the quality of work and ensure the use of good quality material also needed to be punished. The dwellers said the road in question was also repaired during the tenure of the previous Awami National Party (ANP)-led coalition government, but its condition deteriorated not long after completion of the repair work.

They called for an investigation as to why a portion of the road was left incomplete despite being mentioned in the plan and to know as to who accorded approval to the ‘incomplete and substandard’ work.

“We had voted the PTI to power with the hope that things would improve. We hope the authorities will launch probe into the project and set an example by making accountable all those found guilty,” said Shaukat Khan, a resident of Gulberg.