Food crisis feared as NHA disallows 200 goods trucks to enter Chitral
CHITRAL, Jan 12: More than 200 trucks carrying food items to Chitral are stranded in the Dir side of the under-construction Lowari tunnel for the last two days after they were not allowed to pass through the tunnel by the National Highway Authority (NHA).
Talking to this correspondent from Lowari, Haji Muhammad Zahir, the president of truck drivers union, said the tunnel was opened for the public transport on Saturday and Sunday as per schedule for six hours during which only passenger vehicles were being allowed entry.
He said that the trucks were carrying essential commodities, including vegetables, fruits, flour, sugar, rice, cooking oil and ghee, pulses and chicken.
“The tunnel will now be opened next Saturday but till that most of the commodities loaded in the trucks will decay while the vehicles are fully exposed to snowfall.”
The value of the commodities laden in the trucks amounted to millions of rupees and any further delay will lead to rendering them unfit for consumption, he said, adding it will inflict huge loss on the traders as well the people.
He said that one of the trucks carrying wheat flour fell into a ravine when the driver was subjected to harassment by the NHA and in the course of reversal the vehicle slipped in the icy surface and skidded off the road.
In the meantime, Chitral has started running short of commodities of daily consumption in the absence of supplies as no truck has crossed the Lowari tunnel after the Lowari top road closed due to the recent snowfall. Most of the shops of vegetables, fruits and chicken were found closed and the shortage of other food items is impending as the local shop keepers did not store it large quantity.
Habib Hussain, the president of Tajjar Union, here said he had time and again reminded the provincial government about the gravity of the problem in the aftermath of the closure of the tunnel for public transport but no one paid heed.
“I cried at the top of my voice well before the advent of the winter season but the rulers were dumb to hear me and now a famine-like situation is coming ahead,” he said.–Zahiruddin]]>
NHA should not be our enemy. Why the KPK government was claiming to have made such and such arrangements to facilitate the passengers but is unable to get its orders implemented.I think someone out there at the helms in NHA is trying to harass the Chitralis deliberately. My request is to our brother Samad Saheb, the GM of NHA KPK, to look into the matter and not leave the Chitralis at the mercy of his baboos.