Pakistan: People suffer as pleas on damaged bridges go unheard by highway authorities
Jan 24, 2022
Islamabad [Pakistan], January 24 : Despite numerous reminders, the National Highway Authority (NHA) of Pakistan has failed to fix the damaged segment of the Ayub Bridge in Havelian tehsil, according to local residents, reported DAWN.
The adjacent Langra Bridge is also susceptible to damage owing to the huge traffic volume.
Abbottabad, Galiyat, Kaghan Valley, and Pakistan occupied Gilgit Baltistan are all connected to the rest of the country by the Ayub Bridge, which was erected on the River Daur on the Karakoram Highway in Havelian in the early 1970s.
When rainfall triggered flooding in the river in July 2021, the NHA was forced to divert traffic to the nearby Langra Bridge, which was designed for light traffic only.
Traffic on the main route was redirected to Langra Bridge after the closure of Ayub Bridge, according to traffic officials, who added that roughly 5,000 cars traversed the Langra Bridge daily, generating regular congestion near and on the bridge.
"It takes around 30 minutes to an hour daily to cross the Langra Bridge due to congestion to reach the KKH via the narrow old Havelian road," said Abdul Qadeer, a government servant who daily travels by public transport between Haripur and Abbottabad.
Abbas Shah, a local journalist said that illegal excavation of sand and stone beneath the Ayub Bridge might have caused damage to its structure.
"The bridge would have been protected against the damage had the mine and minerals department and the NHA officials swung into action timely to stop the illegal activity,"
