CHITRAL: Heavy snowfall received in Chitral after fifteen years due to which the roads of various areas including Kailash have been blocked for all vehicular traffic and commuters to face difficulties while traveling on these roads.
Keeping in view the problems of the people, Communication and works department’s Executive Engineer Riaz Wali Shah immediately started removing snow from the roads.
The Provincial Department of Communication and Works (C&W) gave the task to Drosh Construction Company to remove the snow from all the valleys and open them for traffic. In various valleys across Chitral, C&W has engaged tractors that are removing snow from the roads with blades and opening the roads for traffic.
XEN C&W department Engineer Riaz Wali Shah said that we try to remain the roads open for traffic at all times and people should not face any difficulties. This is the reason why, despite the limited resources, the Department of Communication and Works is removing snow from all the roads which were closed to traffic or people face difficulties walking on these snowbound roads where snow water freezes.
Director of Drosh Construction Company Subadar Retired Haider Ali Shah said that as soon as we received instructions that these roads should be cleared, our missionaries started moving and our team visited these valleys and cleared snow from the roads of Rambor Valley, Bomburit Valley, Brier Valley, Sweer Valley, Ursoon, Janjirit Koh., Midgalshit, internal roads of Darosh, Chitral West Road, Beuri, Arundu, Hospital Road, Old Bazar, Mughalanda, and Governor Cottage Roads. Our tractors are removing snow from these roads by installing blades to facilitate the public and provide convenience to the people by opening these roads and reducing their difficulties.
Ladies Qazi of Kalash community Shahi Gul Kailash, a well-known social worker from Kailash Valley, said that due to the snowfall, we were facing a lot of difficulties and we could not even take our patients to the hospital, but the C&W department provided a tractor and cleared the roads. She also thanked the C&W Department and its respective contractors who started the work immediately and cleared these roads.
Zia ul Qasim, a resident of Kailash Valley, said that our road was very closed due to snowfall, now it has been opened by the C&W department. We demand the Prime Minister widen our road and build it soon. Residents of Bomburit also thanked the department as well as the construction company for opening the road in the valley.
Sakina Kailash said that earlier the road was very bad, now our problem has been solved to some extent by opening it, but still, we demand the Prime Minister construct this road as soon as possible and also widen it, now the road is very narrow. We face a lot of difficulties while coming to our homes.
According to Saddam Hussain, a resident of Broon village of Kailash valley who is a shopkeeper, he said we could not bring goods for our shop due to the road closure and we were also facing a lot of difficulties in going to the hospital in case of emergency.
Sher Mast Kalash also spoke and said that our road was very bad but we are disappointed because the work on it was stopped. Ruqia Kalash who is a school student said that the road was closed due to snowfall. There were many difficulties in coming and going to study. Kareena Kalash is also a resident of Kailash. She says that due to heavy snowfall, we could not even go to schools or our tuition centers and now the road has been reopened which made it easier for us.
A female tourist from Karachi Dr. Sadia Khalil has come to Chitral for the first time and she was going to Kalash valley. She was more excited by seeing the snow-bound road and white mountains after snowfall However, more attention is needed on these roads so that tourists do not face difficulties in commuting here she added.
