Shahzad Ahmad Shahzad
RESHUN: Residents of Reshun Gol in Upper Chitral have started rebuilding their only connecting bridge on a self-help basis after the government failed to begin reconstruction despite issuing a tender eight months ago.
Last year’s devastating floods completely destroyed the bridge, cutting off the area from neighboring Batekan Deh.
The bridge served as a crucial lifeline, allowing children to attend school, patients to reach hospitals and locals to manage daily life. Since its destruction, the community has faced isolation and growing hardships.
Locals say the government issued a tender in 2024 to rebuild the bridge, but the contractor never showed up. Despite repeated follow-ups, authorities only made empty promises and took no action. Meanwhile, relevant departments remained silent.
An elderly resident expressed his anger, saying: \”The floods washed away our bridge, but the government’s negligence washed away our hope. How long will we carry children across the river on our shoulders?\”
Refusing to wait any longer, the community, including youth, elders, and women, gathered resources like wood and bamboo to start building a temporary bridge themselves. They aim to restore at least basic access for now.
The people are urgently calling on district authorities and higher officials to take action against the absent contractor, launch the reconstruction project immediately and prioritize the permanent restoration of this essential bridge.
