Excavation of Lawari Rail Tunnel completed.
CHITRAL: The first phase of Lawari Rail Tunnel completed on Wednesday after completion of the excavation work of the rail tunnel at Lawari pass connecting Chitral with other sorts of the country via Dir through this tunnel.. A National Highway Authority official and spokesman of Korean company of SAMBU told this scribe that last blasting was held at 12.30 PM and the tunnel was completely excavated at 2.00 PM. After completion of the excavation work people from Dir side and Chitral came inside the tunnel and meet each other. They exchanged gifts and felicitated each other. Today (Wednesday) there was public holiday announced by district government of Chitral while they had arranged to offer mass thanks giving prayer at polo ground, which was postponed by heavy snowfall, and disturb weather. Hence thanks giving day was celebrated at Chitral and Lawari festival will be held in next few days. On completion of the tunnel people of Chitral felt a new life and were most pleasure and joyful. Tehsil Nazim Chitral Sartaj Ahmad Khan congratulated all Chitrali people working in Pakistan and abroad on completion of first phase of the Tunnel. The tunnel having total length of 8.7 kilometers long is a Rail tunnel where rail track would be fixed in the year 2009 and it will be opened for general public (for traffic through Rail) in 2010. After completion of the tunnel Chitral have all weather routes and it will bring green revolution in the area. Chitral is a gateway to Central Asian Republics and a ling road would be constructed to Tajikistan via Chitral through this tunnel. Meanwhile Chairman Human Rights Chitral Niaz Ali Shah also felicitated Chitral inhabitants and said that we expressing great pleasure on this occasion and feel ourselves liberal and real Pakistani on the first time because we were besieged in past especially during winter season. Because the only land route is blocking for all type vehicular traffic after heavy snowfall at the top of Lawari Pass he added. Some 18000 people have been died since 1857 while they were trying to cross by feet the snow bound top of Lawari pass in winter season when it is covered by snows and block completely for all vehicular traffic. As this is the only land route connecting Chitral to other parts of the country.
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