MPA wants immediate opening of blocked roads to avoid food, health crises

Besides, he added, there was no stock of essential drugs to deal with the rising cold-related ailments and diseases. The MPA also said that all areas of Chitral would be facing a food crisis if the roads were not opened on an emergency basis. He appealed to the army to provide helicopters to Chitral to reach out to the stranded people and provide them with food items and emergency medicines. He warned that if the government failed to take immediate steps, more people would die of different diseases and even starvation. At present, the link roads to Shershal and other villages of the Karimabad valley are totally blocked and rescue teams are facing great hardships to reach there. According to the district police officer, the nine people who died in the avalanche-hit village were identified as Shapeer Khan, son of Barzandoi Khan, wife of Hussain, wife of Khush Nizar, Ahmad Khan, son of Khush Nizar, Bibi Hawa, daughter of Khush Nizar, wife of Didar Ali, Sohran Khan, Ayan Ali and Shakeela, wife of Saidul Khan. The injured where: daughter-in-law of Hussain Khan, Khush Nizar, Didar Ali, son of Akhlasuddin, Bashir Khan, of son Akhlasuddin and Sameer Ali Shah. Muhammad Ali Shah, a member of the Tehsil Council Chitral, also appealed to the provincial and federal governments as well as the NDMA and PDMA for initiating a rescue operation in the entire valley to open roads as well as provide shelter and alternative accommodation to the affected people. Muhammad Ilyas Nazim, village council of Kankhon in the Yarkhun valley, said his area received four feet of snow as a result the roads were totally blocked and there were no medicines in the only dispensary of the valley. He said a woman, Pari Bibi, from his area died at a hospital in Chitral but her body could not be taken to her native village due to the blockade of roads. The residents of whole Chitral are facing an acute shortage of food and edible items as the only link route connecting Chitral to other parts of the Country has also been blocked at Lowari Pass due to the heavy snowfall while PIA also could not operate flights due to the bad weather. The supply of electricity to the district is also suspended while the main transmission line has been damaged at Lowari top.–Gul Hammad Farooqui]]>