NOWSHERA: Political workers and local government representatives have urged the federal government to release funds to repair the Nowshera Mardan Bridge over the Kabul River and improve the poor condition of the road which frequented by a large number of travellers and commuters. The demand was made at a jirga addressed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Nowshera Kalaan president Anwar Haqqani, Village Council Nazim Muhammad Tufail, Iftikhar Ahmad of Jamaat-e-Islami, Mufti Hakim Ali Haqqani of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam- Fazal, Abdus Samad Paracha, Malik Ghlam Hazrat of Pakistan People’s Party, trader body chief, Sajjad Hussain Paracha, Paracha Welfare Trust head, Mukhtiar Paracha, councilors Zahid Hayat, Nosher Khan, and others. They said that Nowshera-Mardan Toll Plaza on the bridge connecting Nowshera and Mardan was in a shambles. They said the road which linked Nowshera with Mardan was not in a good state. The speakers said ill-maintained bridge and the road were creating problems for the travellers and commuters. The political and social workers said that poor condition of the Nowshera-Mardan Road was leading to accidents and putting the human lives in danger. They pointed that that the Nowshera-Mardan Bridge had grown weak after suffering damage in the July 2010 devastating floods. The worried citizens feared the weakened bridge might cause human and material loss if it was not repaired. Those at the jirga said that the federal government had been approached reminded of the poor condition of the Nowshera-Mardan Bridge several times but that did not work. The citizens said the bridge was overburdened as the structure was used by a large number of vehicles daily. They said a long line of vehicles were seen on both sides of the bridge near the toll plaza if an automobile broke down nearby. The speakers said the lighting system at the bridge needed to be improved as the toll plaza plunged into darkness at night.
