CHITRAL: Due to recent heavy snowfall, the Hearth, Karimabad, Susom etc road was closed for all traffic on March 2, leaving thousands of people living there in trouble. Talking about the difficulties faced by the road closure, village council chairman Sher Faraz Khan said that the traders here have a maximum of three days’ supply, but the road was closed for ten days, there was snow and avalanches and landslides at various places. . Rocks and large stones were falling. Since there is no hospital in the area, we were forced to put our patients on our shoulders and carry them to the hospital. Chairman Sher Faraz Khan said that when people’s problems started increasing, I reached Chitral from here on foot and brought to the notice of the Deputy Commissioner of Lower Chitral. C&W Executive Engineer Tariq Murtaza has been instructed to open the route immediately. On behalf of XEN Tariq Murtaza, SDO Muhammad Adnan immediately ordered the contractor Taj Rasool and his machines were mobilized. In the valley, bulldozers and bulldozers were clearing landslides and debris from the mountains, and the road was open to all traffic. There is still fear and great difficulty for people traveling on this road because this road is very narrow and there is no protection or retaining wall on the other side towards the river on its bank. it is very difficult to avoid falling a thousand feet into a ravine.
Wasima Bibi, a councilor in the area, said C&W staff were facing a very difficult time opening the road to traffic. She added that there is no hospital in the entire valley and mothers’ children often die on the way when they are carried to the hospital during maternity (delivery).
Fateh -ur -Rehman is also a resident of this area. He also pointed out his difficulties due to the closure of the route. He said 680 families are living in clustered hearths and there is a severe shortage of food and drinking water. If the route hadn’t opened in time, we probably could have starved. Answering a question, he said that Saleem Khan, a resident of this Tehsil, was a provincial minister for five years and a member of the provincial assembly for five years, but he did nothing for us.
Mirza Wali and local people thanked XEN and SDO of Communications and Works Department who cleared the snow from the road in time and opened it for traffic. They said there was a kidney patient who had to be taken to the hospital daily for dialysis, but due to the recent snowfall when the route was closed, we couldn’t get her to the hospital in time and she continued to suffer at home. –
A spokesperson of the C&W department said that during the recent snowfall, they opened Barinus Gol, Prait Valley, Pasti, Mori Lasht, Golain, Kujo Bala, Kuju Paine, Abdul Wali Khan Bai Pass Road, Hospital Road, DC Office road, Mughalandeh Road, Hoon Faizabad, Dom Shogur, Bakar Abad, Dolomos, Lingland School Road, Singor, Dinin and Gahtak have been cleared of snow and opened for traffic. A representative of the C&W department said on condition of anonymity that they are seriously short of funds and have also not yet received last year’s maintenance and repair fund. If the government gives them sufficient budget as per their demands, the people of Chitral will not face any difficulty in communication, he added.
