Mastuj bridge left in broken shape

Gul Hamaad Farooqi

CHITRAL: Mastuj Bridge, which connects Lower Chitral with most parts of Upper Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan via the Shandur Pass, is in a  dilapidated and dangerous condition due to lack of maintenance.

Last year, a portion of the bridge was damaged due to flooding in the Yarkhun river. The foundation of the bridge and pillars were damaged due to which the river started flowing in the middle of the two parts of the bridge. As a result, the bridge was closed for many weeks.

The bridge was built during the regime of former president General Pervez Musharraf by diverting the old road to the right side of the river from Parwak. The late military ruler had also approved construction of Shandur road. The work order was issued and coal tar brought by the contractor but the project was abandoned.  

Besides the bridge near Mastuj, the Chitral-Mastuj and Shandur roads are in poor shapes. Last year, the National Highway Authority (NHA) had started work on the Booni-Mastuj portion of the road but the contractor left it unfinished after digging at many points.

Liaquat Ali, vice president of Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Chitral Today that people of the area were very disappointed because of the unfinished work on the Mastuj road. He regretted that a Chinese company had carried out good quality and strong blacktopping on Chitral-Booni over two decades back but the NHA contractor dug it and removed the coal tar and left it without repair.