If you want to promote tourism, at least fill road ditches with soil

AYUN: People of the scenic Kalash valleys have complained that this year the government  even did not bother to carry out minor repair work on the roads to their areas, putting their lives at danger.

Talking to this corespondent, Shahzada Kalash, a notable from Rumbur, said school-going children had to travel on broken roads to reach school and back. The project to reconstruct the main road to Kalash valleys has been in the doldrums for years.

He said the annual Chilimjush festival was scheduled to start in the Kalash valleys from May 12. Before the festival, a large number of Kalash community members travel to Chitral and other towns for shopping. But this year they are facing hardship as the roads are in a very poor shape.

He said the PTI government never tires of claiming to promote tourism but the roads to the most attractive valleys of Kalash have ever been in such a deplorable condition as they are today.

He said every year before the start of the annual spring festival, the government at least filled the ditches on the roads with soil but this year it did not bother even to carry out such a small work.

He said the communication and woks department never took any interest in maintaining the roads to Kalash valleys. Mr Shahzada demanded that the roads to the area should be repaired on a priority basis.