Minister wants alternate routes identified for heavy vehicles

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Education Shahram Tarakai on Tuesday directed the administrations of Swabi, Mardan, Mohmand and Charsadda districts to finalize a plan to identify alternate routes for heavy vehicles as these caused traffic congestion and damage to roads.

An official handout said that he was chairing a meeting of the cabinet committee, which had been constituted for sorting out roads and overloaded vehicles-related problems of Swabi, Buner and Mohmand districts.

Minister for Law Sultan Muhammad Khan, Special Assistant to CM on Industries Abdul Karim Khan, Special Assistant to CM on Minerals Arif Ahmedzai, Secretary Transport Zakir Hussain Afridi and others attended the meeting.

Shahram Tarakai directed the deputy commissioner and the district police officer of the district concerned to present the plan in the next meeting of the committee, adding the plan should be prepared after taking all stakeholders on board.

The minister added the implementation strategy of new laws should also be presented to the committee for approval, directing the officials concerned that all vehicles of those districts should use the main route in these districts while branch roads should not be used by loaded vehicles.

He said a weighing scale should be installed at the source point of the route for overloaded vehicles in the district. He said the industries, minerals and transport department would formulate a policy for implementation of new laws in consultation with the respective stakeholders.

The minister said that overloaded vehicles should not be allowed to use roads of Adina and Chota Lahore, directing the district administration of Swabi to identify alternate routes for heavy vehicles.