Protesters seek blacktopping of Mansehra road

MANSEHRA: The traders and residents of Nawazabad locality here on Sunday took to the streets seeking the blacktopping of Munda-Chucha road. The protesters chanted slogans against the Communications and Works department for failing to re-carpet the road after it was damaged by the 2005 earthquake. “This road links hundreds of villages and towns with Mansehra but it is in a dilapidated condition and even patients died on the way as they could not be taken to hospitals in time because of dangerous curves and patches,” a protester Arshad Khan said. “We demanded the government time and again to repair this road, but to no avail,” said Mohammad Nazir, the former president of traders association. Another protester Junaid Khan said that government and local lawmakers were least interested in getting the road repaired. They said that Jacha Bridge was also in a dilapidated condition and needed repair. “We would block this road for the traffic for an indefinite period, if the Communications and Works Department did not repair it,” he said.