GILGIT: Dilapidated roads in Gilgit have become a nuisance, hampering smooth flow of the ever-increasing vehicular traffic in the capital city.
Almost all major and link roads are broken and potholes have appeared on most. Meanwhile, the city administration and civic agencies seem oblivious to the motorists’ woes.
Locals have complained that no repair work has been done on any road in the capital town for the past two years and add that if the roads are not repaired, they will be completely run down in the next few months.
The locals maintained that the main avenue from Choongi to Gilgit city, Park link road, Domiyal link road, River View Road, Zulfiqarababad link road, Shaheed Millat Road and Hospital Road, among others, require immediate attention of the authorities concerned.
The last road repair project was initiated in 2010 on the 5 kilometre-long road leading up to the court buildings. The project was undertaken after Supreme Appellate Court Chief Justice Nawaz Abbasi took suo motu notice of road’s deteriorated condition.
A local taxi driver, Mahboob Khan, said his car has been ruined due to the deteriorated condition of roads. “Every month I have to spend a hefty amount to repair my car which is fall apart because of running on such bad roads,” he said.
“It is a pity you cannot have a smooth drive anywhere near Gilgit,” said Allauddin, a tourists who came to Gilgit from Skardu. He said the area is rich in natural resources and has immense potential for tourism but the road network mars these positives, he added.
Apart from the Karakoram Highway, which is undergoing repairs for the past over two years, roads linking Gilgit to Skardu, Astore, Ghizer and Hunza are also in dilapidated condition.
“Time and again, the government has made tall claims about repairing broken roads but all these seem to be political gimmicks,” said Zafar Khan, a resident of Skardu.
Information Secretary Rana Nazeem said that natural disasters coupled with the deteriorating law and order condition are the major reasons for the lack of development activities in Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B). “First the floods and then the security situation weighed heavily on the budget,” he explained. However, he assured that this year “a huge amount” has been spared in the new budget for maintenance of roads.
Finance Minister Mohammad Ali Akhtar confirmed that over Rs1 billion have been spared in the new budget for the maintenance of about 200km of roads in G-B.http://tribune.com.pk/story/404252/restricted-development-in-gilgit-broken-roads-adding-to-residents-woes/
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