Residents demand bridge constructed

CHITRAL: The residents on Friday staged a protest against the suspension of construction work on a bridge in Orghuch and threatened to launch a protest campaign if the work was not resumed immediately.

The dwellers of Orghuch took out the protest procession to demand resumption of the construction work on the bridge. Gohar Ali and Noorul Akbar were leading the protesters.

Speaking on the occasion, they said the construction work on the bridge was launched in 2012 with an estimated cost of Rs17.5 million.

They said the development work was abandoned halfway in 2014 due to which the residents were facing hardships in travel in and out of the area.

The residents said that over 500 families lived in Orghuch. “The people, particularly schoolgoing children have to cross an alternative makeshift pedestrian bridge. We risk our lives daily by using the dangerous makeshift bridge,” said Gohar Ali.

They said that non-completion of construction work on the bridge was a question mark on the performance of TMA.