Govt apathy:Dwellers of Sheikh Maltoon Township start paving streets on self-help basis

MARDAN: Disappointed with the apathy of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and Mardan Development Authority (MDA), the residents of Sheikh Maltoon Township have started paving their streets on self-help basis by collecting donations.

The residents of Sheikh Maltoon, Mardan’s lone posh residential town, have been complaining about the dilapidated condition of the roads and streets over the last few years but to no avail.

According to the residents, all the successive governments had neglected Sheikh Maltoon despite the fact that a number of local politicians and government officials have also been residing in the town.

“Sheikh Maltoon is the only government township in Mardan where the residents are regularly paying all kinds of taxes to the government and MDA. But the government never spent a penny on its development and upkeep,” said Zulfiqar Khan, a resident of Sheikh Maltoon, which is located on Mardan-Nowshera road. He said in case of rain it becomes difficult for them to walk on the streets.

After other residents of the town paved their streets on self-help basis, he said the residents of S sector also collected donations to pave their streets.

According to the locals, two women had suffered leg fractures while walking owing to the dilapidated condition of the streets.

“We met the local PTI MPA Zahir Shah Toru as the town falls in his constituency and asked him to arrange funds for repairing the street roads. He told us that the government doesn’t have funds and advised us to collect donations for the purpose. Then we went to the MDA which is responsible for development of the township, but the officials told us that they don’t have funds even to pay the salaries of employees,” explained Zulfiqar Khan.

And now the residents have no other option but to start collecting donations to pave their streets, he added.

The residents asked Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and Local Government Minister Akbar Ayub Khan to take note of their suffering and provide funds for the repair of the dilapidated roads and streets.