MUZAFFARGARH: Jamaat-iIslami (JI) leaders and workers of the Layyah district, along with civil society activists, protested against the delay in the construction of the Muzaffargarh-Mianwali Road (MM Road) on Sunday near Fatehpur Toll Plaza.

MM Road was closed for traffic due to hundreds of people participating in the protest, while long lines of vehicles formed, causing severe difficulties for passengers.

The localleaders of JI said that on one side, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had promised to build roads across the province, while on the other side, MM Road was facing neglect as the rulers were oblivious to the people`s miseries due to the broken road. They said the potholeinfested road was causing incidents and the loss of precious lives.

They said the journey on the roadwas boneand vehicle-breaking, adding that more than 1,000 people had died in accidents in the last five years.

Potholes have formed everywhere, and minutes-long journeys have become hours-long. The road`s construction began during the last PTI government`s rule, but the contractor has been missing for three years after leaving stones on the road.

They said valuable vehicles were becoming a mess due to the delay in completing the road construction.

One middle-aged protester said that ambulances, police vehicles, and fire brigade services were facing problems in responding.

Protesters said that due to dust and mud, respiratory, throat, eye, and lung diseases are increasing among residents ofthe area.

They said they faced difficulties in transporting patients to hospitals on time, while students cannot reach schools and colleges on time.

MM Road is a lifeline for passenger and carriage vehicles fromKarachi to Peshawar. They demanded that the authorities and NHA immediately complete the construction of the road and make it a dual carriageway. They also demanded the release of funds for roads.

Highway Department officials claimed that there were no funds for MM Road.

ACCIDENT: One person was killed and another seriously injured in an accident when two motorcycles collided with each other and later hit a tractor trolley full of sugarcane at Chowk Qureshi near Sohrani Bypass on Sunday.

Rescue 1122 said that due to the accident, a woman died on the spot.

The rescue staff handed the body over to relatives present on the spot and, after providing first aid to an injured person, shifted him to Indus Hospital. The deceased was identified as Asia Bibi, 20, and the injured as Fageer Muhammad of Basti Doana.