CHITRAL, May 11: Roads to all the three Kalash valleys of Bumburate, Rumbur and Birir are closed for vehicular traffic as the spring festival Chilim Jusht is starting from May 12.
The roads to the twin valleys of Bumburate and Rumbur had been washed away by torrential floods in July last at Oshan near Ayun village. As a result, the road had remained closed for traffic for two months which was later on opened when the water level lowered.
The C&W department did not repair the portion of the road during the last eight months as a result of which the road has again been closed for traffic with the rising of water level in the stream.
The road leading to the Birir valley has been severed at several places by the recent floods followed by rains and no work has been launched at this road as well.
The residents of the Kalash valleys have expressed their apprehensions over the closure of the roads leading to the valleys on the occasion of the spring festival for which they waited throughout the year. Khosh Boi Kalash of Bumburate said that one has to walk on feet for hours from the point of closure of the road and very few could afford it physically.
He said that the influx of the tourists to the valleys accelerated economic activities which directly or indirectly benefited the residents and the closure of the road has highly disappointed them. When deputy commissioner Chitral Shoaib Jadoon was contacted, he said some makeshift arrangements were being made to restore the traffic to the twin valleys of Bumburate and Rumbur.
He said that the work on the rehabilitation of road caused for want of release of funds to the C&W department by the provincial government which were still pending.–Zahiruddin (Photo by GH Farooqui).