NHA assures MPA of allowing 200 goods trucks to move to Chitral

PESHAWAR, Jan 15: The over 200 trucks carrying essential commodities for Chitral which have been stopped at the Lowari tunnel in Dir side by the National Highway Authority (NHA) for the last over four days will move into Chitral on Thursday. 

“The NHA authorities have assured me that they will allow the trucks to cross the Lowari tunnel on Thursday morning,” said MPA Saleem Khan while talking to ChitralToday on Wednesday night. He said that the truck owners and drivers had lodged a protest with him and came to Peshawar to raise the issue.

The MPA said he met Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and apprised him of the food shortage situation in Chitral. Under a standard operation procedure (SOP) prepared by the KPK government, the NHA and the Army, the trucks were not included in the vehicles to be allowed to cross the tunnel when it opens twice a week.

However, the MPA told the chief minister that if the trucks carrying essential commodities for Chitral were not allowed to use the tunnel, there would be a severe food crisis in the valley. The chief minister assured the MPA that arrangements would be made for the supply of food items to the district.

The MPA added that the NHA officials present at the meeting assured him that the 200 trucks stranded at the Dir side of the tunnel would be allowed to cross into Chitral at about 10am on Thursday. A permanent solution to the clearance of goods trucks would also be put in place so that supply of essential items to Chitral remained uninterrupted.