Peshawar: Fatal crash renews demand to move poles on Dalazak Road

A person died on Sunday after colliding with an electricity pole standing in the middle of Dalazak Road in Peshawar, Minute Mirror reported. The poles remain on the road even though it has been widened.

Dalazak Road is one of the busiest dual carriageways in the city, according to the report. Educational institutions, colleges and universities along it mean it serves thousands of students, residents and daily commuters.

Residents say others have been injured or killed in similar collisions over the years. They say the danger is greater at night, when poor visibility makes the poles hard to see. Local citizens said: "The road has been widened, but the electricity poles are still standing in the middle. At night, a motorcyclist cannot see them properly and crashes into them. Governments have installed inauguration plaques, but nobody has removed these death traps,"

Minute Mirror also reported that a stretch of the road between Ring Road and Faqirabad was dug up for drainage work and remains unfinished. PESCO and the construction department are reportedly shifting responsibility for moving the poles, and questions have been raised over the contractor's absence and the lack of monitoring.

Citizens have asked for a transparent investigation and immediate action by the Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Commissioner Peshawar and the PESCO chief. They want the poles along Dalazak Road and the Ring Road service road shifted to the roadside within 72 hours, and reflectors and warning tapes installed until then. Residents warned they will block the road in protest if authorities do not act.

Daily Jang reported that Governor Faisal Karim Kundi said he will ask WAPDA officials to remove the poles from the middle of the road.

PESCO issued a clarification saying relocation is ongoing. It said the concerned department must pay the amount and the demand notes, and that it wrote to the Communication and Works Department requesting payment. PESCO said it received the payment in September 2026 and began work right away.

According to PESCO, poles have been moved to a safe place on one of the three sections of Dalazak Road, and work on the other two will be completed within the same week.