CHITRAL: Office-bearers of Chitral Development Movement (CDM) have asked the government to establish a temporary bridge on a stream at Istaro in Torkhow before the advent of the winter season and the subsequent snowfall to facilitate the local residents.
Speaking at a press conference, CDM chairman Waqas Ahmad advocate, Molana Israruddin, Shabir Ahmad Khan, Sheikh Salahuddin and others said over 65,000 residents of Torkhow and Terich in Upper Chitral would remain cut off from rest of the country in case of snowfall.
They said the bridge at Istaro was washed away by recent flash floods but no one bothered to reconstruct it to facilitate the local residents.
They said traffic was diverted to a dangerous and difficult route but it would also get blocked after the possible first snowfall in the area.
The local residents would face great hardships, including the shortage of edibles and medicines, after being cut off from the rest of the country.
They also appealed to Chitral Scouts commandant, corps commander Peshawar and army chief to take steps for erecting a steel bridge at Istaro so the local residents could be facilitated during the upcoming winter season and snowfall.–The News