Sealing of entry points my foot! van brings 18 passengers to Chitral
CHITRAL: A flying coach carrying 18 passengers from Peshawar met with an accident at Saeedabad early on Saturday, badly exposing claims of the divisional and district administrations about sealing of entry points to Chitral to avoid the spread of coronavirus.
The wagon directly reached Chitral without being checked at any point and crossed the Lowari tunnel without the passengers going through screening or being quarantined at Ashiret or Drosh.
The district administration of Lower Chitral has been claiming that public passenger vehicles are not allowed entry to Chitral and all natives of Chitral returning from different cities in private vehicles were being screened at Ashiret and Drosh and then shifted to quarantine centres for 14 days as a precautions against the spread of COVID-19.
The KP government has also banned public transport from one city to another and Lowari tunnel has been closed for public transport vehicles in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Two days ago, the commissioner of Malakand division specifically mentioned Chitral saying due to the stringent measures and sealing of its entry points there was no case of the coronavirus in Chitral.
But Rescue 1122 officials told ChitralToday that they received information about a road accident at 4:10am on Saturday and reached the spot at Saeedabad. They said a flying coach carrying 18 people from Peshawar had overturned after hitting a stone along the road.
Three persons were injured in the accident while the other passengers had sustained minor wounds. They were provided first aid in the rescue ambulance and later the three injured were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital.
Sources in the hospital also confirmed to ChitralToday that the three injured people were brought to the hospital admitted.
The injured were identified by Rescue 1122 as Bans Nazar and his daughter from Yarkhun and a woman from Torkhow.
ChitralToday correspondent met Assistant Commissioner Chitral Abdul Wali Khan who also confirmed the accident and ordered an inquiry to ascertain facts how the passenger vehicle had reached Chitral from Peshawar under the lockdown.–GH Farooqui
چترال(بشیر حسین آزاد) ڈپٹی کمشنر چترال نوید احمد نے وظاحت کی ھے کہ ہفتے کے روز فلائنگ کوچ کا جو حادثہ ہوا وہ پشاور سے نہیں عشریت سے آرہا تھا۔ یہ انٹرا ڈسٹرکٹ ٹرانسپورٹ تھی۔
اُنہوں نے کہا کہ ضلعی انتظامیہ کی بار بار تاکید کے باوجود ملک کے مختلف حصوں سے بڑی تعداد میں چترالی عوام چترال آنے کی کوشش کرتے ہیں اور عوام کی بڑی تعداد ضلع چترال داخل ہوچکی ہے ان میں سے 346افراد کو چترال میں 30 قرنطینوں میں رکھا گیا۔ چترال میں کورونا وائرس پھیلنے کے خدشہ کے پیش نظر ضلعی انتظامیہ نے مسافر گاڑیوں کی چترال داخلے پر پابندی لگائی ہے۔
اکثر لوگ لواری ٹنل تک گاڑیوں میں پہنچتے ہیں اور ٹنل کو پیدل کراس کرتے ہیں۔
ہفتے کے روز جس گاڑی کا حادثہ ہوا اُس میں اپر چترال کے لوگ تھے جو بڑی تعداد میں ٹنل کراس کرکے پہنچے تھے جن میں عورتیں بھی شامل تھیں۔
اُن کے لئے ضلعی انتظامیہ لوئر چترال نے گاڑیوں کا بندوبست کیا اور اُنہیں اپر چترال کے لئے روانہ کیا۔اُنہوں نے کہا کہ ضلعی انتظامیہ نے ابھی تک ایسے پیدل آنے والے سینکڑوں افراد کے لئے گاڑیوں کا بندوبست کرکے اُنہیں اپر ضلع پہنچایا۔ اُنہوں نے ضلع سے باہر چترالیوں سے اپیل کیا کہ وہ ان حالات میں چترال آنے کی ہرگز کوشش نہ کریں اور غیر ضروری سفر سے گریز کریں تاکہ یہ ضلع اس موذی وبا سے محفوظ رہے۔
اُنہوں نے وضاحت کی کہ حکومت نے کسی بھی ضلع میں داخلے کے تمام انٹری پوائنٹس کو سیل کرنے کا فیصلہ نہیں کیا ہے اور اب تک صرف بین اضلاع کے مسافروں کی آمدورفت پر پابندی عائد کردی ہے جس پر کارروائی کی جارہی ہے۔
چترال کے مختلف علاقوں سے آنے والے مسافر نجی گاڑیوں میں سفر کر رہے ہیں جس پر حکومت نے پابندی نہیں عائد کی ہے۔
Bashir bhai,it is not our concern how many people entered Chitral and what were the means of transportation??? These things are secondary..My point is that we are importing virus to Chitral ignoring the quarantine protocols and SoPs.According to the fed government 80% of the cases were imported from iran.The pilgrims were allowed to mingled together in the name of Quarantine as a result the people of Pakistan are facing all these troubles and lockdown.. We are having the same situation in the name of quarantine. They should educate people and the police about the quarantine protocols.Using the electronic media the message should be loud and clear no more passenger vahicles to Chitral.
Farooqi sahb I congratulate you for raising a very critical issue. Unfortunately, we are not realising the gravity of the issue. Economies like USA, SPAIN, ENGLAND and ITALY though they have unlimited resources but are struggling to cope eith the challenge.
I don’t know exactly about the strategy of both Chitral administration and KPK government to stop the spread of the virus. Earlier I was delighted to know that a Pakistani test cricketer Ahmed Shahzad was not allowed to enter Chitral at the tunnel site.
We were told by the administration that there will be no compromise and violations of all the protocols and sops to stop the spead of the novel virus. I was very glad and proud that at last our system is functioning ignoring the vvip culture for the betterment of the masses. Unfortunately, according to the latest development the situation in Chitral is very alarming and unpleasant. I don’t want to create any panic in the people but as a citizen I will play my part pointing towards the failures and weakness.
As I speak, different hotels in Chitral were given a task and responsiblity to put different families in Quarantine. As a responsible citizen I am also accomodating four families in Jughour (Terichmir Heights Hotel and Restaurant).
To my great surprise both the policeman and the families were ignorant about the process of Quarantine. These people were mingling together.
First of all people should be educated about the process of Quarantine otherwise we are spreading and importing virus to Chitral.
On the other hand Chitral is supposed to be the most remote part of Pakistan having the most fragile healthcare facilities. I am afraid if there will be a single case of virus spead then it will be almost an irreversible reaction to reverse.
I dont know these people were checked with thermal guns at the tunnel site??? These people during the quarantine process mingling and mixing with each other are spread and importing virus to Chitral. I am demanding no more passenger vehicles from the other site of the tunnel. Our MNA, MPAS and especially Sahibzada PTI should play there part in this regard.
The government has not decided to seal all the entry points of admission to any district and has so far only banned the inter-districts passengers transport which is being acted upon. The passengers coming from different parts of Chitral are travelling in private vehicles which the government has not banned. The flying coach meeting accident on saturday was coming from Ashirait not from Peshawar as reported which is intra-district transport and is allowed.