SWAT: The local transporters and residents of different areas of the district have said that they have been suffering owing to languid pace of work on Takhtaband road.

They said that Takhtaband road provided an easy access to upper Swat but the main bridge on it was closed to traffic. They said that they used Takhtaband road to reach Matta, Kabal, Charbagh, and Khwazakhela tehsils.

`Takhtaband road gives easy access to upper Swat and some areas in lower Swat. The other road leading to upper Swat passes through Mingora, which takes more than two hours longer than it,` said Ismail, a resident of Charbagh. He said that since the bridge on the road was dismantled due to dilapidated condition, they faced numerous problems.

The commuters, who daily travelled to lower parts of Swat from Charbagh, Khwazakhela, Manglawar, Sangota and Shangla district said that they faced multiple issues owing to closure of the road.

`The road from Mingora to Balogram remains jammed due to heavy traffic. I reach home late at night daily. Sometimes it takes three to four hours from Balogram to Charbagh. It took only one hour when the bridge was intact,` said Zafar Ali, another resident ofCharbagh.

According to the drivers of heavy vehicles, trucks from Peshawar and other parts of the province used Takhtaband road even to reach Bisham, Kohistan and GilgitBaltistan.

`About 100,000 vehicles enter Mingora daily. Now all of them have been diverted to Mingora. It has caused problems for commuters, transporters and shopkeepers,` said Arshad Ali, SP traffic. He said that recently the road was opened to light traffic after setting up a dirt track. However, the dirt track couldnotbe used duringrain and bad weather.Locals complained about slow pace of work on the bridge. They said that work on the bridge had been stopped for a month.

Deputy Commissioner Junaid Khan said that the bridge was scheduled to be completed by June 30.

He said that he would try his level best to release maximum funds in the current financial year for construction of the bridge.

`Due to the financial crunch in the province, there is an issue of funding. I will try my best to provide the required funds and complete construction of the bridge within stipulated time,` he added.