Slow pace of repair work on KKH irks residents

ABBOTTABAD: The slow pace of repair work on the main Karakoram Highway is causing traffic jams for hours.

The road links the six districts of Hazara division besides the northern areas with lower parts of the country. The slow pace of work is causing traffic jams on both sides of the road. The inner city traffic has also been badly affected. It was observed that at least five kilometer road from Piffer Chowk to Ayub Medical Complex is in poor condition and needs repair and re-carpeting. On the pressing demand of the public, NHA allocated Rs400 millions for the repair but the work is taking place slowly as the contractor is using old conventional methods. The construction material is lying on the road in different locations and few laborers are working on the road in the day while it was demanded by the public to complete the work on war footing basis by using the latest machinery. Due to conversion of traffic from main road to link roads the side and links roads were also blocked for hours especially at the school timings.

The matter was brought time and again into the notice of NHA officials by the DIG police Hazara, Commissioner Hazara and other high-ranking officials, but NHA officials failed to redress the grievances of the general public. The ambulances also face hardship to reach the Ayub Teaching Hospital falling on the main Karakoram Highway.