After the authorities did not pay heed to their requests for years, the public has taken it to themselves to repair the roads and build schools.
In Panjgoor, the locals have started repairing the pothole-riddled roads after the authorities did not entertain their pleas. The masses in Turbat have launched a fundraiser to acquire the financial assistance needed to construct a school building.
According to the details, the public in Panjgoor has started repairing the broken roads. They will also construct a link road with the funds, as the existing road is worn out and riddled with potholes.
The locals say that roads have been left at the mercy of the government, and they have worn out as a result. The negligence of the relevant departments has resulted in numerous deadly road accidents that have resulted in heavy casualties. The locals say that they contacted the authorities multiple times in this regard, but they did not pay heed to their pleas. They said that they are raising funds from the passing vehicles to finance the construction and repair of the roads.
They said that the roads are riddled with massive potholes; the government officials travel on these roads on an almost daily basis, but no one bothers to fill repair them.
The roads and highways in Balochistan are dubbed by many as “killer highways” and are notorious for hundreds of accidents they have caused. Conservative estimates of the fatalities of the road accidents are well above 8,000 for the past few years, and the figure only keeps rising. Activists and social workers have raised the issue multiple times on several forums and also organized protests and demonstrations in this regard but to no avail.
The highways also lack trauma and medical centres; people are forced to travel tens or hundreds of kilometres to the nearest city or town for medical assistance. This puts the lives of the survivors of the accidents at risk.
Experts suggest that the government needs to construct four-lane highways and build trauma centres every few kilometres to curb the rising death toll on the highways.
The masses in public also took it upon themselves to construct a school in Bal Nagor’s Kapkapar area in district Kech. The locals say that due to the non-availability of a school building, the students are forced to sit in the open in the chilly winter days.
The locals claim that the school building had been tendered more than once, and the funds were also allocated, but the construction was delayed indefinitely. After being disappointed by the government, the public decided to raise funds and construct the school, they say.
In a unique move, the locals took it to social media to raise funds and finance the construction of the school building.
The educational infrastructure of Balochistan is considered the most underdeveloped in the region. Academic institutions are scarce for a region and population of such size. Government schools are either abandoned or non-existent, and private education is considerably pricey.
According to one estimate, there are more than 3500 ghost schools in Balochistan and more than 15000 ghost teachers who draw a full salary but do not attend classes in the schools. Libraries are a rarity in the cities and small towns, they are non-existent. Social activists claim that the government has done little to raise the quality of education in Balochistan.