PHC moved for construction of safety walls along M1 Motorway

PESHAWAR: A petition was filed in the Peshawar High Court (PHC) to seek construction of safety walls/blocks on the M1 Motorway as many commuters were killed after vehicles fell into ravine due to absence of such protection structures.

The petition was filed by five persons of a family who were injured in a road mishap. They included Ambreen Manzoor, wife of Muhammad Manzoor, her son Muhammad Roshan Mir, and three daughters Rimsha Manzoor, Alishba Manzoor and Alisha Manzoor.

Muhammad Manzoor had died on the spot and his 10-year-old son Bilal Manzoor had succumbed to his injuries later at the hospital in the deadly accident on August 30, last year. The car had plunged into a ravine on M1 Motorway near Tekadaran Killay. The site is a few meter away from Rashakai Interchange, where there is no safety walls or blocks on the roadsides.

The petition was filed through a Muhammad Isa Khan. National Highway Authority through its chairman, federal government through secretary, Ministry of Communication, and chairman Executive Board of the NHA were made parties to the petition.

It was submitted in the petition that motorway was a great source of revenue generation, which was being collected as toll tax from the plying vehicles. The petitioner said though toll rate was comparatively high, yet commuters still paid it happily.

It said for the last few years, this important road was riddled with ditches, obviously due to the alleged neglect of the NHA. The petitioner claimed that safety walls or blocks were missing at several places.

One such point was at Tekadaran Killay, a few meter away from Rashakai Interchange. "The stated place, due to unsmooth surface of the highway and unavailability of safety measures, has become a death zone," it was claimed in the petition.