Residents demand blacktopping of road

MANSEHRA: Residents of Manoor valley on Tuesday demanded the government expedite the long-delayed blacktopping of the main road connecting the picturesque valley with the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad (MNJ) Road.

“Manoor valley is truly a heaven on earth. That’s why the previous Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government approved Rs1.2 billion under a tourism promotion initiative for the blacktopping of this vital road. Unfortunately, the project is still incomplete,” Abdul Jabbar, a representative of the local government’s representative, told reporters here.

Accompanied by a group of residents, he said that part of the already rough and bumpy road was washed away during flash floods last year, making travelling even more difficult for locals.“We are thankful to our local MPA Munir Hussain Lughmani, who has taken the initiative to construct an alternate route alongside a nearby stream. This will provide temporary relief to commuters,” he added.

He lamented that work on the Manoor Bala to Bayari section, which was suspended last year, has not yet resumed.“The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had allocated a significant amount for the road’s development, but the prolonged suspension of the project has badly affected the residents of dozens of villages in the valley,” said another local.