Booni-Awi road repaired by social activists

BOONI: The dilapidated and broken roads have become a big headache for people of Upper Chitral as these have not been repaired for years by successive governments.

Most of the roads in the area are being repaired by the locals who fill the ditches and potholes but that provide relief to commuters only for a few months.

Recently, the people of Mastuj started reconstructing the main road to Booni but left it in the middle due to unknown reasons. Volunteers in Yarkhun valley have also repaired the road to their area from Mastuj off and on.

The road between Booni and Sonoghur is also in a very poor shape. A group of youth from Awi led by social worker Iqbal Alam and youth activist Sher Afgan Raza repaired the road from Booni to Awi. 

They were provided some machinery by the Communication and Works Department and about two dozen culvert pipes by the Tehsil Municipal Administration of Mastuj.

Mr Afgan told ChitralToday that fuel for the bulldozer provided by the C&W department was arranged by two residents of Awi.

He said the road from Krui Junali to Krui Gologh was brought to its original width of 28 feet by removing encroachments and boulders using the bulldozer. But the bulldozer could not cross the bridge over a nullah in Krui Gologh for widening the road ahead of that point.

But local volunteers are working on the road inside Awi and will repair it up to Meragram No 1, he added.

The area people, especially commuters, appreciated the spirit of volunteerism exhibited by the youth of Awi and expressed the hope that others would also follow suit.