Gul Hamad Farooqui
CHITRAL: Roads connecting different areas of Chitral are still blocked as the snow could not be cleared due to shortage of machinery and staff with the departments concerned.
The roads to Bumburate, Rumbur, Ursun, Shishikoh, Jinjiret Koh, Beuri and other areas had been closed for all types of vehicular traffic in the recent heavy snowfall.
The contractor of NHA cleared snow from the main Chitral-Peshawar road, and roads inside Chitral bazar. The Communication and Works Department is clearing snow from the roads in other valleys.
On the direction of Executive Engineer C&W Department Tariq Murtaza and SDO Drosh Waqar Khan, contractor Haider Ali of Drosh Construction Company opened portion of the road from Bumburate to Anish, Rumbur to Pondak and Shishikoh to Patigal after clearing snow. However, continuous landsliding is obstructing the cleaning work on Shishikoh road.
Officials of the concerned company were working to clear snow from the road to Ursun, Jinjiret Koh and Beuri for all kinds of traffic.
According to local people, the roads of Kalash valley are with the National Highway Authority, but the snow is being cleared from these roads by the C&W department.
At present, the roads to Garam Chashma, Karimabad, Susum, Madaklasht etc., are closed and the local people have called upon the government to mobilize more machinery to reopen their areas.