After damage is done, DC stops PTCL from digging along Chitral-Booni road

CHITRAL: While the government failed to repair the Chitral-Booni road even after over 20 years, its Communication and Works (C&W) Department and the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) bright more destruction to the busy but dilapidated road through their unprofessional manner of work.

When the damage to the road had already been done and the laying of the fiber optic of the PTCL was nearing completion, the deputy commissioner ordered stoppage of the work.

The PTCL last year started digging along the road to lay optic fiber in Upper Chitral and threw the dug out soil right into the road. While laying the cables underground the workers of the PTCL contractor did not properly buried the cable through a compactor due to which the soil over the cable started caving in causing accidents. On the other hand, the soil left on the road spread after rain making travel treacherous.

This added to the trouble of the commuters who frequently face blockade of the road because of falling of rocks and debris during inclement weather.

When contacted, subdivisional officer (SDO) of the PTCL Fazle Rabbi told ChitralToday that the digging for laying optic fiber in Upper Chitral was being carried out by a contractor while the C&W Department was responsible for putting the soil back into the line and carried out compaction on it.

He said the C&W had received in advance an amount of Rs4 million for the job from Chitral town to Barenis and Rs4.5 million from Barenis to Upper Chitral in Oct 2018 and January this year.

He said the digging and laying of the line was in the final stage as only 700 metres distance was yet to be covered.

Mr Rabi said the C&W issued the NOC for carrying out the project on the condition that payment for the compaction work would be made in the name of the C&W Chitral in advance.

Now it is the job of the C&W to clear the road of all the debris and carry out the compaction, he maintained.
No official of the C&W was available to comment on the issue.

Meanwhile, after severe public complaints and damage to the road, the deputy commissioner of Lower Chitral ordered stoppage to the digging for laying the line along the road.

Reporting: Muhkam Uddin Ayuni