MARDAN: The residents of Takht Bai city have been facing a host of civic problems, including shortage of drinking water, dilapidated roads, faulty sewerage system and poor law and order situation.

Besides, the tehsil, comprising over 800,000 people, lacks educational institutions, shortage of staff and other equipments in health centres and sports facilities.

Talking to Dawn district general secretary of Pakistan People`s Party and former union council nazim Aurangzib Khan said that national and international tourists, including families, had been visiting the historical Buddhist sites in Takht Bai, but there were no arrange-ments of clean drinking water, bathrooms and refreshment spots for them.

He urged the authorities concerned to establish a library for keeping books of historical importance. He said slow pace of work on an overhead bridge on railway line in the main bazaar had been causing frequent traffic mess in the city.

Former MPA and leader of Jamaat-i-Islami Mian Nadar Shah said that design of the overhead bridge had flaws due to which it wouldn`t be able to resolve traffic mess once it was completed. He demanded that the overhead bridge should be redesigned and constructed from the Wapda office to the Takhtbai tehsil headquarters hospital.

Tanzim-i-Tajraan, Takhtbal bazaar general secretary SherQayyum Mashkhail said traders` community was feeling insecure due to frequent robbery incidents.

Mr Mashkhail said there were only two police stations for 17 union councils of the tehsil, which created law and order situation in the area.

Sajad Khan, a local student, said that due to shortage of sports facilities they played games on streets.

`We demand of PTI chief Imran Khan to order construction of playgrounds in the city,` he added.

When contacted, PTI local lawmaker Iftikhar Mashwani said that construction work on several mega projects in the tehsil was underway.

He added that work on a housing scheme, sports complex, public park and a bridge was in progress.

The MPA said soon the provincial government would approve a plan to set up sports facilities in the tehsil.